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Germany - The Volkswagen brand Audi will attend a forthcoming meeting about the future of Formula 1's engine regulations.
That is the claim of the German-language Spox.com, which says the meeting hosted by the FIA will take place in Paris on Friday (March 31) to discuss what the next engine formula might look like beyond 2021.
'Open to change'
Notwithstanding the controversial 'power units' of today, FIA president Jean Todt has ruled out a return to the more popular and louder V10s of the past.
The Frenchman is open to change.
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Todt told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica: "I realise this is a sensitive subject. F1 is the flagship of the motor sport industry, and it must be in line with the technological developments of the industry.
"On the other hand it must be a balance to keep it sustainable. The machines today are too sophisticated."
Need to tick the boxes
Todt also thinks the current cars are too expensive, although Red Bull chief Christian Horner thinks the emphasis of the next F1 engines should actually be the sound.
Horner said: "The best sounding car in Melbourne was a 12-year-old Minardi that had the worst sounding engine then and was hopelessly uncompetitive."
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Even Toto Wolff, boss of Mercedes who have dominated throughout the current 'power unit' era, does not disagree.
Wolff said: "If we look into a future generation of engines, I think in the past there wasn't enough emphasis on the sound. So if we can combine great, affordable technology with a lot of horse power and a good sound, that would be really ticking a box."