‘Quieter engines help attract new fans’

Razlan Razali, head of the Sepang circuit which hosts the Malaysian Grand Prix, believes that quieter cars help to attract new supporters.

One of the side effects of the new cars is the lower noise levels, and this has been routinely criticised by fans and Formula 1 organisers.

Bernie Ecclestone is still pushing for a change of engine to get the noise levels up to their normal screeching best, while Australian racer organisers threatened to sue F1 over a breach of contract last year.

However, Razali says that it is a positive feature: “We were concerned after the feedback from Australia. Very concerned. When it finally came to Malaysia, I didn’t like it. It was simply too quiet,” he told reporters.

“But what I noticed in the grandstands is that you get families with kids watching and enjoying Formula 1 better. I can remember in the past where a dad would put headphones on the kid and hold it.

“Or a kid would start crying, wanting to go home. I think it attracts a new breed of fanbase now. And that’s what you want.”

F1 TV audiences are on the decline and Ecclestone wants solutions to try and rediscover the noise, which was a key part of the spectacle.

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