22/09/2017
NEWS STORY
In their attempts to spice-up - read manipulate - the sport over the years, Formula One's powers that be have put forward some crazy solutions.
However, the proposed solution to one of the biggest shortcoming of the new formula goes beyond farce and almost into the realms of insanity.
The sport's commercial boss, Sean Bratches has revealed that plans are underway for a microphone to be placed on cars' exhausts in order that the sound can be amplified.
"One of the things that we want to amplify going forward are the sounds of the sport," he told Reuters, "because they are viscerally moving to fans and critically important in all the research that we do."
He then revealed that David Hill, a man with a "stellar reputation in sports television and broadcast innovation" is working on the idea.
"He's working with a German concern to develop a ceramic microphone that we can actually adhere to the exhaust pipe to get the true amplification of sound for fans," said Bratches.
The sound of the new formula introduced in 2014 has grated from the outset, and was one of the reasons former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone was so against the new formula.
Jean Todt has warned that there is no going back and that hybrid is here to stay, and as a result fans need to get used to a quieter F1.
However, for many it was the sound - that certain sound - be it of V12s, Flat-12s, H16s, V8s or V10s that first attracted them to the sport.
If Formula One has become that lost that it is seriously looking at placing microphones on exhaust pipes and amplifying the sounds, why not go a step further and fit each car with a sound card that can be use to recreate legendary engine sounds from the past.
How thrilling to see Sebastian Vettel harrying Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi to the accompaniment of a Flat-12, as they lap Fernando Alonso and his screaming Matra V12.
Better still why not simply fit spoked wheels to the cars and attach playing cards to them.
Alternatively, there's...
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