Hamilton Wants F1 Cars To Go Back To Loud V12 Engines With Manual Gearboxes

Formula 1 is getting new engine rules for the 2021 season. They’re broadly similar to what we have now, so the cars will still have turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 hybrids, but they’ll be noisier, simpler, and cheaper. That’s a good thing.

However, in an ideal world, many fans would love to go back to the days of screaming naturally-aspirated units that threaten to shatter your eardrums each time they go past you. Modern motoring technology isn’t moving that way, however, so it’d be pretty unrealistic for a sport which labels itself as ‘the pinnacle of technology’ to go back to that type of engine.

But what about the drivers? What would, say, four-time champion Lewis Hamilton do if he had free reign with the 2021 regulations? He was asked that very question in a press conference ahead of this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix, and here’s what he said:

“V12, if you ask me directly! With manual shifting, so you have to take your hand off the steering wheel - that’s so much better. And three pedals. That would be really cool, but that will not happen - although it would be great if you had to cover your ears again when a Formula One car rushed by.”

The sound is of massive importance to fans, as Hamilton recounted the first time he ever attended a Grand Prix and how he was blown away by the noise.

“And really loud, the new engine should be in my opinion, like a jet, a bit like before. I can still remember my first GP visit to Belgium in 1996, when I was in the paddock and Michael Schumacher came in. Everything vibrated! You do not get that as a TV viewer! But when you were at the track for the first time, the sound blew you away. It’s not like that anymore, and not everyone misses the noise, but I personally miss the sound, I like it really loud. “

The 2021 engine regs try to address that by increasing the rev limit in the hope it makes the cars sound better, but whether it’ll work or not is something we’ll have to wait a while to find out.

Hamilton isn’t the only driver who’d like to go back to engine rules of the past. Sebastian Vettel has also previously said he’d like to race with V12s, and Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner is always banging on about how much he’d like to see the current regs come to an end because his team hasn’t done very well with them…