F1: Renault Reveals Sound Of 2014 V6 Engine, Merc Gets Test Ban

Renault on Friday revealed a preview of the sound of its 2014 engine, revealed in detail earlier this year.

There have been fears the noise produced by next year's turbo V6s will be a mere shadow of the current normally-aspirated V8s.

"Overall," admitted the French marque's engine boss Rob White, "the sound pressure level (volume) is lower and the nature of the sound reflects the new architecture.

"Fundamentally the engine noise will still be loud.  It will wake you from sleep, and circuit neighbours will still complain," he said.

White he admitted some people will miss the screaming tones of today, "but the sound of the new generation power units is just different".

Mercedes has been banned from testing at Silverstone next month; the news emerged on Friday as the FIA's international tribunal  handed down its verdict.

The German marque, and F1's tyre supplier Pirelli, were also "reprimanded" at the end of the so-called test-gate scandal and ordered to pay costs, as the judge's panel found the post-Spanish grand prix test at Barcelona was a breach of the rules.

As a result, Mercedes will not be allowed to field 'young drivers' at the forthcoming three-day test at Silverstone in July.

The carmaker was also ordered to pay a third of the costs of the investigation, with Pirelli to pick up the bill for another third.

The statement said Mercedes and Pirelli can appeal.

Mercedes on Friday said it will not appeal the international tribunal's verdict, therefore closing the 'test-gate' scandal.

The tribunal's judges revealed earlier that the Brackley based team has been reprimanded, banned from the forthcoming young drivers' test at Silverstone, and ordered to pay a share of the legal costs.

It had the right to appeal within 7 days.

But in a media statement, Mercedes described the penalties as "proportionate".

Mercedes said it will not appeal "in the best interests of the sport".

The curious outcome of the 'test-gate' saga is that, although found guilty of breaking the rules, Mercedes is reacting with relief at the outcome of the international tribunal' verdict.

And Ferrari, though its ascerbic 'Horse Whisperer' column, and fellow protester Red Bull, sound like the losers, angry that their German rival is only banned from the forthcoming young drivers' test.

Indeed, Austrians Niki Lauda - Mercedes chairman - and Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko made a bet in the midst of the scandal in which the 'loser' would have to pay EUR 50 to the winner.

Lauda sent Marko only a text message.

Marko, however, can actually see 'winner' Lauda's side of the argument, describing the judges' verdict as "a joke".

"We expected a much harder decision," he said.

In fact, Bild newspaper claims Red Bull submitted to the tribunal that Mercedes should be fined $100 million - a la the McLaren 'spygate' scandal - and docked 150 constructors' championship points.

As it happens, Mercedes is happy with the outcome.

"It is a relief," admitted team director and co-owner Toto Wolff, "but we only pop champagne bottles when we win on the track."

Lauda added: "The decision of the FIA is absolutely correct, and in the spirit of motor racing."

But he insists that Mercedes also would have accepted a harsher penalty.

"Without doubt we would not have appealed a harsher judgement," triple world champion Lauda told Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

"I've been in this sport for decades, and what I was concerned about the most was the harmony and mutual respect between the teams.

"In a sport where technology plays such an important role, there will always be misunderstandings and room for interpretation -- it's completely normal."

Ferrari has ridiculed Mercedes' penalty in the wake of the 'test-gate' hearing late last week.

Red Bull, who along with Ferrari lodged the original protest against Mercedes' secret Pirelli tyre test, said through boss Christian Horner that it accepted the international tribunal's decision.

"The penalty is not for us to decide," he said, referring to Mercedes' reprimand and banning from next month's young driver test.

"It was for the tribunal to decide and they have made their decision," Horner added.

Ferrari, however, sounded furious that Mercedes got away with breaking the rules "virtually scot-free", after the German squad had pleaded to the judges that a light penalty - like sitting out the forthcoming three-day Silverstone test - was adequate.

"One only has to suggest to the judge what the penalty should be and even better, why not make it something light like a rap across the knuckles?" Ferrari said via its 'Horse Whisperer' online column.

The anonymous columnist ridiculed Mercedes' young drivers test ban, wondering what the judges would have decided if that event was not looming.

"Would they (Mercedes) have been forbidden from holding an end of year dinner?" said the Horse Whisperer.

Mercedes issued a statement saying it accepts the penalties, while boss Ross Brawn insisted to British Sky television that the marque emerged from the saga with "a blemish-free record".

But the Telegraph newspaper reports that tyre supplier Pirelli, also officially reprimanded by the tribunal, "may yet decide to sue the FIA" for having wrongfully pressed charges and damaging its image.

Mercedes' Brawn, meanwhile, failed to deny that he would have lost his job had the tribunal issued a harsher penalty.

"You never know what might happen if the outcome of the tribunal had been different and I'm an employee and member of the team, so things can change," he said.