Formula 1 fans, including yours truly, have been complaining about the fact that the new turbo hybrid engines aren’t noisy enough and so races don’t have as much atmosphere as they used to. I mean, there hasn’t been much overtaking in the last decade or so but at least we could hear the screams of those beautiful engines.
Some race promoters have suggested that ticket sales will fall because of the relative lack of noise from the new V6 turbo hybrid engines, which are very quiet compared with the screaming of their V8 predecessors.
But a new trumpet exhaust tested out in the Barcelona Grand Prix last week didn’t seem to make much difference to the volume of the exhaust. Mercedes had volunteered to design and test a new exhaust and Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg did a number of laps on the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona with the extension on the exhaust during the first hour of testing. However, as it didn’t seem to be having the desired noisy effect, Rosberg switched back to a conventional exhaust for the rest of the test.
They may not have noisy enough cars, but the Mercedes still finished 1-2 at the Spanish Grand Prix anyway, with Rosberg’s team mate Lewis Hamilton enjoying his fourth successive win last weekend. Niki Lauda, chief of Mercedes F1 and three-time champion was singing Hamilton’s praises after the race, saying that he was unbeatable (not because he’s awesome, but because his car is awesome ;))
The next date on the F1 Grand Prix diary is the Monaco Grand Prix on 25 May and if you check the odds at Betfair, you’ll see that Hamilton is already favorite to win, with Rosberg second-favorite. Red Bull’s Sebastien Vettel, last year’s F1 Drivers’ Championship winner, is currently priced at 14/1 on Betfair.
As for the odds on who will win the Drivers’ Championship this year, Hamilton is odds-on favorite at 1/5 on Betfair, so it really looks unlikely that anyone else will be taking the Championship this season. But, you never know, there can always be an upset during the F1 season, so you could get a value bet on Kimi Raikkonen (400/1) or one of the other main contenders at Betfair just in case Hamilton’s winning streak tails off early. I’m still rooting for Fernando Alonso, viva Ferrari but that’s just a dream, I have no hopes of Ferrari making a comeback this year.
Meanwhile the results of the trumpet exhaust test are being analyzed by Formula 1‘s governing body and the teams will be consulted before the bosses make a decision on whether to accept it.
