OPINION: Have we been duped by Formula 1 with quieter engines?

MELBOURNE: The 2026 power units are already causing a few headaches in the Formula 1 paddock, and the shift in acoustics hasn't escaped the fans' notice either.

At full tilt, these engines are noticeably quieter than their predecessors.

Interestingly, while the idle in the pits sounds much more aggressive, the noise seems to lighten significantly once they're at speed - at least from the vantage point on the main straight at Albert Park.

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In the media centre and among the grandstands, the sentiment is consistent: the 2026 units lack the visceral punch of 2025.

Despite F1's promise of a higher-pitched, louder symphony, the reality on the ground feels somewhat muted.

"Last year, you could feel it when they came past you. You would feel them peaking at the end of the pits and down into turn one, full throttle," said fans in the Mercedes suite.

"Now, you don't feel it. It's not the same at all."

Fan Emma Waters also said: "It's so quiet this year. I was down near the pits for practice and they do genuinely sound softer than last year for sure."

"I didn't even realise F1 was racing, they sounds so much quieter this year.

"But can confirm, they sound louder on the corners than they do on the straights," reiterated Waters.

In F1, fans yearn for the V10 engine era - the soul of the sport is the screaming engines flying past.

For context, in 2026 we're now dealing with six different engine manufacturers on the grid that are powering this new era.

Mercedes and Ferrari are powering the bulk of the field.

Mercedes have their works team, Williams, a new customer in Alpine and World Champions McLaren.

Ferrari will power the works Ferrari, plus Haas and new F1 entry Cadillac.

A new collaboration featuring Red Bull and Ford will power their two teams; Honda return as a fully-fledged manufacturer with Aston Martin and the new Audi team, of course, have a new Audi power unit.

The field struggled on Friday through practice as multiple drivers stopped dead on track, citing engine problems and a lack of power.

It was Ferrari, who came out a newly improved beast in this era after a severely lacklustre 2025 and Mercedes and George Russell soaring to the top of the leaderboard for a front-row seat on Sunday.

Admittedly, the power units are more complex than ever in this new regulation era.

They're hybrid, and as of this year, the regulations mandate 50 per cent of the car's power must be delivered from the electric motor.

Another change was the removal of a small but important component called the MGU-H, the Motor Generator Unit - Heat.

What that used to do, was take heat energy from the exhaust, and through some incredible engineering, turned it into usable energy that could be stored in a battery and then deployed.

The MGU-H also played a crucial role in race starts, but more on that throughout the weekend.

Not everyone agrees that F1 has lost its voice, however.

Mat Coch, editor at Planet F1 disagreed with my opinion, acknowledging that while they aren't V10-era screamers, these cars have more 'bite' than what fans are giving them credit for.

"Nah. They're louder, in my opinion," he said.

"They feel really rumbly (this year), I can feel it in my bones down at turn 10," said Xingy Huang, who sat in the Waite grandstand.

"I honestly reckon they're pretty much the same, the pitch is slightly higher. A tiny bit higher with the new regs, but honestly, not sure what everyone's upset about?" admitted fan Madi Bickerton.

So, maybe there is some hope for the rev-heads for the 2026 season, even if they have to listen a little closer to find it.

Formula 1 will start the season off with the first race set in Albert Park, Melbourne at 3pm AEDT on Sunday.