Stefano Domenicali has issued a stout rebuttal to critics of Formula One’s new regulations, claiming most fans are enjoying the sport more than ever and are unconcerned by driver complaints.
The Formula One chief executive also confirmed that this season’s finale would be staged in Europe if the last two grands prix, in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, are called off due to the Middle East war.
Lando Norris, the defending world champion, hit out at F1 in Hungary last week for putting profit before the sport to attract engine manufacturers with the new regulations. The focus on electrical energy management has been roundly disliked by drivers.
Domenicali, however, argued F1’s fanbase did not share the objections. “There is a lot of action on the track, people are loving it. They are focused on what is happening on the track,” he said. “They don’t understand our technology, ‘clipping’ or whatever it is, because it’s too technical.
“I had an incredibly interesting discussion with George Lucas [the Star Wars creator] on Saturday. He was in Hungary and he was giving me an incredible view on how the new fans are watching Formula One.“For the vast majority of the people, trust me, they just want to see what is happening on the track. They’re not interested in the angle of throttle or the percentage of brake pressure in how you can take and overtake a driver.”
Since Hungary Norris has acknowledged that the FIA and F1 are listening to the drivers and was more conciliatory toward Domenicali and F1, echoing the Italian’s take on the sport. “These regulations are a bit of a departure from what’s come before,” Norris said. “But what we are seeing is more intense racing, more overtaking and more battles. It’s important to find the right balance. I know everyone involved in the sport, me included, is passionate about making it even better still.”
Domenicali was speaking as the sport enters its summer break after 11 meetings and with its owners able to assess the first half of the season. According to F1’s figures, attendances have risen and there has been a growth in global TV audiences, although the broadcast numbers were not given.
Most striking was the continued change in the demographics of F1’s audience, which have transformed since Liberty Media took over the sport and with the success of the Netflix series Drive to Survive. F1 says 42% of its audience is now female, with women making up three-quarters of new fans, while 43% of the total fanbase is under 35.
This new audience had different demands from the sport than those of the traditional, older fanbase, said Domenicali. One focused on drivers and personalities, exemplified by Max Verstappen – who has also been a fervent critic of the new rules – when he made a superb pass on Lewis Hamilton in Hungary on Sunday.
“If you think, for example, of Max and Lewis at turn one in Hungary, this is a piece of art that these people just want to see and just connected to the quality of the drivers,” said Domenicali. “This is a skill that the driver can have on how you can maximise the performance of your car, no matter if it’s braking, accelerating, or power that is done by the electrification or not.”
The 61-year-old said that F1 would make a decision by mid-September on whether the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi would go ahead, depending on the region’s conflict. “If the situation will not be cleared the way that we believe it should be, before the middle of September we will take the decision,” he added. “If this will not be possible, the end of the season will be in Europe, because we cannot go in other places.” Imola in Italy is believed to be the favoured venue.
He also confirmed that contingency plans for 2027 were being made should the war continue and any alternative calendar would run to the 24 meetings planned for next year.
“The calendar that will be presented, let’s say in autumn, will be as a sort of normal plan,” he said. “But in case the situation in the Middle East will not be solved, we have options, a different plan and the trigger for that is at the end of the year.”
