Lewis Hamilton Speaks Out In F1 Engine Noise Controversy

Lewis Hamilton insists Formula 1 is "still cool" in spite of the changes for 2014 following the row over engine noise - or lack of - at the Australian Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver said that changes are introduced every year in the sport but believes the new V6 turbo powerplants still "sound good".

Lewis Hamilton says F1 races will still 'look cool' in spite of changes this year

Writing on his personal website, the Mercedes driver opened up about the new season and the differences that the rules and regulations have made this year. The row over the noise of these new engines has rumbled on since Melbourne two weeks ago with the promoter of the season opener, Ron Walker, hinting at legal action because of the dramatic changes.

But Hamilton accepts the changes and accepts the reasons behind them, saying it is all part of the progress in Formula 1 as well as the world in which it operates.

"As for the criticisms of the sound of the new engines, it is what it is," Hamilton wrote, his comments coming just a day after world champion Sebastian Vettel had described the sound of F1 as "shit".

"Some people will say they just want the loudest cars they can have, but we also have to think of the wider world and F1 is now at the forefront of developing great engines with lots of power but excellent fuel consumption.

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"The V10s from the early 2000s sounded better than the V8s which F1 used from 2006-13. Then we got used to the V8s and now we have gone to the turbo. It still sounds good.

"When I first came to an F1 race, the first thing I noticed was the noise vibrated my chest. I was 11 years old and it nearly burst my ear drums, and that excited me so much.

"But people watching on TV don't get that - even if they have the very best sound system. You only get that at the track. Now, they won't have that. But the races still look cool."

The 2008 world champion, who topped the time sheets on Friday in first practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix, added that drivers are able to get the same power, "if not more", from the V6s while using 30% less fuel which was "fantastic" and would in turn benefit the new generation of road cars.

"F1 has always been about pushing technical boundaries, and that's what we're doing with these new engines."

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Hamilton, widely recognised as one of the most naturally gifted and fastest of drivers on the grid, also said that he was still driving on the limit even though the cars had got slower and easier to drive since he started racing in F1 in 2006.

"In 2007, we had more downforce, the speed through corners was faster, the races were a series of sprints between fuel stops.

"Now, it's still very physical, but for someone who trains a lot, like all the drivers do, it's nowhere near as demanding. We all say, "that race was easy", or "it's easy to drive the car now".

"But while we're not as stretched physically, don't think we're not on the limit. Whatever I drive, I will push to the limit.

This year, I am pushed more in the technical sense, in terms of the need to understand the car and all the things to optimise it, but I am still on the edge of what's humanly possible."