“Greatest sound of a racing car ever!”: When Lewis Hamilton was distracted by sound of Fernando Alonso’s Renault V10 engine

F1 cars have evolved a lot over the years and the various elements that come along have also changed. This also includes the engines/power units, that have gone through some big alterations. However, according to Lewis Hamilton, the V10 engine is the best ever in F1 history.

A lot of fans agree that the current V6 engines produce aren’t as satisfying as those previously. It seems that Hamilton agrees with them since he was left awed at the sound of the V10 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix a couple of years ago.

The 2020 season was a walk in the park for Hamilton who had sealed the Title win long before the finale in Abu Dhabi. After the race in Yas Marina Circuit, he was giving an interview when the sound of the V10 engine reverberated around the entire paddock. It was the Mercedes star’s rival Fernando Alonso who was driving his 2006 Championship-winning car.

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Shame that F1 stopped using V10 engines, says Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton was in the middle of an interview when he heard the sound of the V10. Nothing usually distracts the 7-time World Champion from doing his work, but Alonso driving the car brought out an exception.

The Spaniard himself was gearing up for a return to F1 back then. He took a break from the sport at the end of the 2018 season, but decided to return two years later with the outfit that helped him win two World Championships back in 2005 and 2006. Renault became Alpine, but the French squad did not miss out on letting their former star drive around in the car that gave both parties so much success.

“Oh that sound is just so good man!” he said in the middle of his interview. “The greatest sound of a racing car ever. Shame that they went and got rid of it!”

Hamilton is not the only person who misses the sound of V1o engines. Fans and even figures within the F1 community have complained about the noise generated by engines today, especially after the start of the turbo-hybrid era in 2014.

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Engine regulations to change again in 2026

Engine regulations are set to take a massive hit once again ahead of the 2026 season. Currently, the teams are in the midst of an engine freeze, which means that all development in their current power unit has stopped.

Ahead of the 2026 campaign, there will be major changes once again. With these alterations, there’s a chance that the sound generated by these PUs may be different once again.