F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone fears that TV networks will walk away from the sport if the "green-tech" engines now being planned are adopted from 2013.
Ecclestone says he reckons the planned move into smaller, turbo engines for 2013 will only be bad for grand prix racing.
"I'm anti, anti, anti, anti moving into this small turbo four formula," Ecclestone told the Australian Associated Press. "We don't need it and, if it's so important, it's the sort of thing that should be in touring car racing. The rest of it is basically PR – it's nothing in the world to do with Formula 1. These changes are going to be terribly costly to the sport.
"I'm sure the promoters will lose a big audience and I'm quite sure we'll lose TV."
The F1 boss admitted he disagreed with FIA president Jean Todt over the matter.
"He's not a promoter and he's not selling Formula 1. To be honest, Jean and I are a little bit at loggerheads over this engine. I don't see the reason for it. We had the KERS system and this was supposed to solve the problem that Formula 1 is not green and now we've got something else."
Ecclestone also reckons the reduced noise from smaller engines will make people lose interest in Formula 1.
"I meet people worldwide in all different walks of life – sponsors, promoters and journalists – and I think there are two things that are really important for Formula 1," he said. "One is Ferrari and second is the noise. People love and get excited about the noise. People who have never been to a Formula 1 race, when they leave you ask them what [they liked] and they say 'the noise.'
"I brought some Russian gentlemen to Singapore and I met them afterward in Russia – it was the first race they'd ever been to and I said, 'What was it that impressed you?' I didn't even think about the noise and they said the most important thing was the noise – it's incredible, it really gets to you. Even more so the women – the ladies love the noise."