F1: Stefano Domenicali looks at the wrong side of American motorsport culture. Stefano Domenicali’s vision for Formula 1 draws inspiration from American leagues.

F1 – Stefano Domenicali looks at the wrong side of American motorsport culture

Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, recently stated in an interview his intention to take inspiration from major American sports leagues such as the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL. The focus of this vision lies in the model of owner meetings, collective business structures, and the idea that team principals should set aside individual interests in favour of shared commercial growth. In this framework, sporting competition is expected to remain fierce only on track, while off-track governance should follow a unified, business-oriented mindset. The emphasis is placed on overcoming team egoism, developing shared regulations, and expanding successful commercial projects, including global media initiatives such as the Netflix series covering Formula 1.

However, this perspective appears to be pointing in the wrong direction. Instead of looking toward the highly polished and tightly controlled spectacle of the NFL or NBA, Formula 1 would arguably benefit more from studying a different side of America: the raw, emotionally charged, and deeply authentic world of American motorsport series that retain a more visceral identity. An exclusive focus on corporate owner meetings and shared profit optimisation risks overlooking far more relevant lessons, such as genuine competitive danger, unfiltered rivalries, and the tribal atmosphere that naturally generates authentic sporting passion.

The reality of risk as a sporting drama factor

In the most extreme American racing series, danger is not hidden behind polished press releases. Drivers compete fully aware that every race carries the potential for serious and violent incidents. This awareness creates respect, pure adrenaline, and a powerful emotional bond with fans.

By contrast, Formula 1 has progressively reduced the visible element of risk. Cars have become highly engineered safety fortresses, circuits have been extensively modified and sanitised, and regulations have penalised any form of excess. The result is a sport where accidents often make headlines more for car damage than for human drama. Restoring a controlled but authentic sense of risk could help return Formula 1 to the heroic aura it has gradually lost over time.

Raw controversy and unfiltered rivalries

These American racing series thrive on constant controversy, often direct and unfiltered. Drivers openly criticise each other, teams accuse rivals of unfair behaviour, and explosive statements made in live media environments are part of the normal sporting narrative. In Formula 1, however, controversy is frequently softened by media departments, reframed as “incidents” to be calmly reviewed in FIA meetings.

Team radio communications are censored, and post-race interviews often consist of carefully controlled, politically correct statements. As a result, the audience is presented with a version of the sport that can feel overly polished and somewhat artificial. Genuine rivalries, when expressed openly, significantly increase engagement. Formula 1 could benefit from embracing controversy more directly rather than attempting to neutralise it.

One of the most visible differences is how tensions often escalate into physical confrontations in other series: mechanics fighting in pit lane or drivers confronting each other immediately after aggressive on-track contact. In Formula 1, such scenes would be heavily condemned and punished with substantial penalties.

Yet these reactions often reflect the true emotional intensity of motorsport. It is not only a battle of data, simulation and budgets, but also a contest driven by human passion. Formula 1 has increasingly turned its paddock environment into a sterile, laboratory-like space. Allowing a controlled degree of emotional expression, managed responsibly but not excessively suppressed, could make the sport feel more alive and authentic.

Popular authenticity versus elite image

American motorsport series have maintained a strong connection with a broad, popular audience: an atmosphere defined by beer, hot dogs, flags, stadium-style chants, and drivers who feel closer to grassroots racing than elite development academies. Loud noise, aggressive overtaking, and exaggerated celebrations are not only accepted but embraced.

Formula 1, on the other hand, has increasingly cultivated an image of luxury, champagne, private jets, and sustainability-driven branding. While commercially successful, this shift risks distancing traditional fans in pursuit of new premium markets and environmentally focused sponsors. The result is a sport that is gradually losing its popular soul without fully securing a genuinely elite identity either.

Formula 1 does not need to copy any single championship, but it does urgently need to recover some of the rawness, calculated risk, and uncompromising passion that make certain American motorsport series emotionally compelling over decades. Continuing to focus exclusively on corporate-style leagues such as the NFL and NBA, with an emphasis on owner meetings and shared financial frameworks, risks pushing Formula 1 further away from its roots.

The real spectacle of motorsport does not come from corporate perfection, but from human imperfection, perceived danger, and authentic rivalry. On this front, the current strategic direction appears increasingly misaligned with what the sport truly needs to maintain its emotional core.