Formula 1 CEO: "The new generations are asking for more from F1"

Formula 1 CEO: “The new generations are asking for more from F1”. Formula 1 CEO on the new generation of fans.

The words of Stefano Domenicali
In recent days, Stefano Domenicali’s statements on the occasion of the MotoGP weekend in Portimao had led to a lot of discussion, regarding the possible elimination of the free practice sessions, to guarantee the public a fight for a goal every time the Formula 1 drivers too to the track: “I am in favor of canceling the free practice sessions, which the engineers need a lot but the spectators don’t like much.” – the former Ferrari team principal explained at that moment.

Stefano Domenicali’s remarks had immediately generated a lot of reaction from the Formula 1 paddock and seemed to find a clear confirmation given the proposed new format of the Sprint race, which probably already from the weekend in Baku will eliminate a free practice session to insert a second qualifying and therefore for the first time there will be a weekend with two qualifying sessions and two GPs.

The top manager of the most important motorsport series wanted to clarify his statements, specifying that the meaning of his words had been misunderstood, having become “from an ant to an elephant”. Stefano Domenicali clarified that he intends to make some reflections, with the aim “of respecting the old weekend approach”, but also – in the interview with Sky Sport UK – that “it would be wrong not to evaluate new projects, given that now there is a new, more aggressive generation that is asking for more”.

In fact, it is no mystery that the average age of fans is constantly decreasing and the audience has now opened up to a new audience, with a third of fans following Formula 1 for less than five years (2021 data). Stefano Domenicali‘s reasoning then evidently takes its cue from the consumption habits of the youngest fans, who have a clearly lower level of attention than in the past, which Formula 1 evidently intends to capture.