Max Verstappen calls for louder F1 engines from the 2026 season

Change in sound level may be another change which can be seen in F1 engines in 2026.

Max Verstappen calls for louder F1 engines from the 2026 season

Max Verstappen (Credits: Marca.com)

F1’s evolution over the years has been one to watch. The sound of the 4.5 L atmospheric and 1.5 L supercharged engine used in 1947 could surpass 150 db. The 1.6 L V6 engines used today produce around 134 db of sound, which is not even close to what it used to be back in the day. While many see this reduction in sound as a mark of the progress of F1’s engines’ reigning champion Max Verstappen wants the engines to make more sound.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali recently claimed that the new engines, which will be used from the 2026 season, will bring back some of the louder noise lost due to various technical changes. Verstappen is firmly behind the F1 chief’s proposal and expressed his desire for louder engines. He is eager to see how the sound of F1 engines reverberates across the cities once again.

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“I wonder how much can be done, but back in the day, if you would walk into the paddock and there was a free practice session going on, from a far distance, you were like, ‘Wow, this is incredible.’ Even though the speeds were, on a straight, slower than what we’re doing now. So yeah, the sound definitely has a big, big influence on that. I would definitely welcome it,” Max Verstappen is quoted saying by Racignews360.

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Mercedes’ George Russell welcomes the decision by Stefano Domenicali

George Russell
George Russell (Credits: InsideSport.IN)

There have been various incidents involving the immense sound of F1 engines, which include the tournament’s contract being in jeopardy at the Belgian GP in 2009 after the local citizens’ complaints regarding the loud noises. The Guinness Book of World Records even labeled an F1 car’s cockpit as the noisiest workplace.

Despite these incidents, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has promised that the new F1 engines in 2026 will retain some of the loudness they have lost over the years. Mercedes driver George Russell supported the move, saying he would welcome the “buzz” around the track, which would come with the sound.

“I think we’ll all welcome that. I think the perception of speed with sound sort of goes together. But I think that there is something to be said that you want that noise, that buzz around the track. I welcome it, definitely,” Russell said.