I have a very strange devotion to formula 1. Normally I would hate such a monied and glamorous sport and to top it all I can’t drive! Yet I’ve been quite a fan for about 17 years now. The following sound is the sound track of Michael Schumacher, statistically the greatest formula 1 driver, driving. Interestingly the sound of the car is causing a lot of debate in the formula 1 world. In 2014 formula 1 is hoping to change the types of engines that it uses so that it’s more environmentally friendly and also can be the ground for a lot innovation regarding energy conservation and less pollution.
However the top money man of Formula 1, Bernie Ecclestone says that the sound of the new engine will be ‘terrible.’ An engine manufacturer however says it will sound like rocket ships. I find it fascinating that quite a few million dollars of investment will flow differently just because of the percieved impact of the sound of these cars. How many other non-music industries care so much about how they sound?