Formula One to get louder next season with revised exhaust

One of the biggest complaints about the current hybrid turbo V6 engines employed in Formula One is that they don't make the right noise – and like it or not – noise is a big part of the grand-prix spectacle. That point isn't lost on the FIA. So to fix it, the motorsport governing body has mandated a change to the exhaust systems to make them louder starting next season.

"For 2016, all cars must have a separate exhaust wastegate tailpipe through which all and only wastegate exhaust gases must pass," reads the statement from the FIA's World Motor Sport Council that met this week in Paris. "This measure has been undertaken to increase the noise of the cars and will not have any significant effect on power or emissions." Whether the intended effect will be realized by the proposed measure remains to be seen, but we'll keep our ears tuned at the start of the next season – scheduled for March 20 in Melbourne, Australia. Under the newly revised calendar, the Australian Grand Prix has been moved up by two weeks to start sooner than originally proposed.

That's not the only change approved to next year's calendar. The traditional three-week summer break has been reinstated for August. And the date of the new European Grand Prix in Azerbaijan – that's right, Azerbaijan – has changed to take place on June 19. It's the same weekend as the 24 Hours of Le Mans. While the grand prix's start time has been adjusted so that fans can watch both races, drivers hoping to compete in both will no longer be able to. That means this year's race winner Nico Hulkenberg will have to choose if he wants to continue racing in F1 or defend his title at Le Mans. The races in China and Bahrain have also swapped places, while the Hungarian Grand Prix has been moved forward to July.

Provisional calendar for the 2016 Formula One World Championship

20 March	Melbourne	Australia
3 April	Bahrain	Bahrain
17 April	Shanghai	China
1 May	Sochi	Russia
15 May	Barcelona	Spain
29 May	Monte Carlo	Monaco
12 June	Montreal	Canada
19 June	Baku	Azerbaijan*
3 July	Spielberg	Austria
10 July	Silverstone	United Kingdom
24 July	Budapest	Hungary
31 July	Hockenheim	Germany
28 August	Spa-Francorchamps	Belgium
4 September	Monza	Italy
18 September	Singapore	Singapore
2 October	Sepang	Malaysia
9 October	Suzuka	Japan
23 October	Austin	USA
6 November	Mexico City	Mexico
13 November	Sao Paolo	Brazil
27 November	Abu Dhabi	United Arab Emirates

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