Why do we care so much?

The debate surrounding the new sound of Formula One has been raging for months, and now the powers that be are trying desperately to rectify the situation.

I’d like to ask a simple question that I’m having trouble finding a satisfying answer for … why do we care? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for crackling V8’s that rattle your ear drums for 50 hours after an event, but people are saying that the new engines, and I quote, “have ruined Formula One.” That seems a little over the top to me.

I get the displeasure with the new engine sound, but why is that the only thing a large contingent of people out there want to focus on? To me, the cars can barely be audible, as long as the race itself is captivating. I don’t understand how car sound supersedes the show the cars actually put on.

Are you trying to tell me that you’d rather watch a noisy, two hour parade over what we got in the Bahrain GP? I can’t say I love the new sound, but I’m also not hung up on it. Should we try to make the cars louder? Definitely. It will make the race for the fans attending that much more enjoyable. It shouldn’t be the most pressing issue in the sport though! The paranoia around the engine sound is completely superfluous and is overshadowing the on-track action. Now if the fans and track promoters aren’t happy, that’s kind of forcing the FIA’s hand into having to do something and I can understand that aspect of it.

As most of us are aware of by now, Mercedes will test a megaphone like component on their exhaust that is supposed to amplify the sound of the engines. There's something not quite right with that. Why don’t we just blast old recordings of the screaming V8’s over the loudspeakers while we’re at it? It’s a bit too artificial for my taste but if you just want to be surrounded by noises, no matter how you get it, then you’ll be happy .... I guess.

In the end, I’d like to see the FIA put more effort into improving the show, rather than the sound.