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Ecclestone: We need a 'little more' noise

ESPN Staff
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Bernie Ecclestone has changed his tone slightly © Sutton Images
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Bernie Ecclestone has stepped back from his original view of the new sound of F1 having heard the noise in person, but believes "a little bit more" is needed to stop promoters threatening to leave the sport.

The noise debate has rumbled on since the Australian Grand Prix, where promoter Ron Walker lead the backlash against the sound of the 1.6 litre, V6 turbo engines, while Sebastian Vettel has recently labelled it "shit". But Ecclestone seems to have changed his opinion slightly having missed the race in Melbourne but still insists something needs to be done.

"It's a little louder than I thought, but we still need to get it up" Ecclestone told Sky Sports F1. "There's a worry about a reduction in fees. We will have to watch what happens. That's exactly the problem, all the promoters are complaining. It sounds terrible on TV as you can't hear anything. But the problem isn't just that, it is the people coming here for the atmosphere of Formula One that is missing. It is better in the flesh but we need to get it a little bit better."

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