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Formula 1 cars have become quieter since the screaming 2.4 litre V8s were replaced by the current 1.6 litre V6 hybrid engines at the start of 2014. But as anyone who’s been to a Grand Prix over the last decade knows, the current F1 cars do still produce quite a noise.
Some of the Grand Prix on this year’s calendar are held at permanent race tracks. Local residents who live near those tracks should know to expect noise from the circuit most of the year, and will probably have to put up with it when the F1 circus arrives in their town.
In the UK, however, race circuits have to abide by incredibly strict rules on noise levels, thanks to residents who move near to race circuits then complain to their local councils and authorities about the noise.
The Brand Hatch Grand Prix circuit in Kent, for example, held 14 Formula 1 races across the 1960s, 70s and 80s. But now it’s only allowed to be a used a handful of times a year for any sort of track activity because of noise complaints from local residents.
Some of the other circuits on the current Formula 1 calendar are street circuits, built as temporary tracks in built up areas. The Monaco, Singapore, Canadian, Miami, Azerbaijan, Saudi and Las Vegas Grand Prix are all held on temporary tracks in the middle of densely populated cities and bring a lot of tourism.
The Australian Grand Prix is another street race. It’s held on the Albert Park circuit which is just a few kilometres outside the centre of Melbourne in Victoria. When the F1 isn’t there, Albert Park is a green expanse used by dog-walkers, runners and cyclists. It even has a golf course. The park surrounds Albert Park Lake which is used for watersports like sailing and rowing.
When the Formula 1 is in town, all that changes. The park is shut to local residents for 7 days and the access road around it becomes the race track.
Being so close to Melbourne means the Australian Grand Prix circuit is surrounded on all sides by high-rise apartment blocks and suburbian residential streets.
Having a Formula 1 race held in their neighborhood does understandably cause a lot of disruption for the residents. Parking restrictions are put in place which local residents have to apply for temporary permits for. Roads are closed. Businesses face disruption.
And then there’s the noise. Alongside the F1, the Australian Grand Prix has one of the best support series lineups of any race on this year’s calendar. It includes F3, F2, Porsche Carrera Cup and the V8 Supercars.
The F3 and F2 cars are loud. And so are the rumbling V8 supercars. But the Porsche Carrera Cup cars are next level and they even give the F1 cars a run for their money regarding noise.
A poll of 600 local residents a few years ago showed that a ratio of 10-1 were in favour of having the race scrapped. The residents were “sick of blocked access to roads and loud noise from cars, crowds and flyovers.”
The Albert Park GP organisers provide a lot of information for local residents to help try and minimise the impact of the race being held.
One thing they are not willing to minimise, however, are the noise levels. Infact the organisers complained to F1 management that the cars were too quiet after the 2014 engine change.
So for this year’s Australian Grand Prix held from the 13th – 16th March the organisers have made it simple for residents who might be perturbed by the noise. They’ve said “Residents who want to reduce noise levels should use soft foam disposable earplugs”.
Good on them. Don’t let a spectacle such as a Grand Prix be ruined by a few moaning locals. Stick some earplugs in and deal with it. Now if only the UK would adopt a similar policy…
See here for the full Australian GP schedule and start times for 2025.
