F1: Exhaust rule will 'improve' sound appeal

Mercedes believes Formula 1's new exhaust rules for 2016 will succeed in making the engines sound louder next season.

The latest generation of turbocharged F1 engines have come in for criticism for being too quiet, and rulemakers have evaluated ways to produce more noise from the exhausts. Changes were announced earlier this year for 2016, with the engines' exhaust systems having to feature one or two additional tailpipes for the turbo's wastegates.

Opinion is divided on how much of a difference the changes will make, but Mercedes engine chief Andy Cowell believes there will be more "volume" from the engines next year.

"It will enhance the sound; it will tidy it up," Cowell said. "At the moment we've got the main tailpipe coming out of the rear of the turbine, and the wastegate tees into that, so there's just one pipe coming out of the back.

"That tee piece acts as a dead-end on the main tailpipes – a side branch resonator, which will affect the frequency of the sound in the main tailpipe. Taking that out will clean up the quality of the sound, and improve the volume of the main tailpipe as well."

Originally on Autosport.com