The start of this Formula 1 season has been anything but straightforward, surrounded by a cloud of uncertainty, anticipation, and criticism. Concerns had already surfaced during the opening pre-season tests in Bahrain, and they continued almost quietly until the Shanghai round. The regulations were still in their infancy, and it was too early to draw firm conclusions, but the Japanese Grand Prix ultimately became the spark that caused tensions to boil over. A distorted qualifying format, the incident involving Oliver Bearman, and the “Mario Kart-style” overtakes exposed limitations that could no longer be ignored, both within the paddock and among fans.
And yet, if not for safety-related concerns, the sport’s leadership might have been willing to sweep everything under the rug. Amid the controversy, they are still achieving their primary objective: strong numbers—and, consequently, strong revenue. “The circuits are full, everything is going well, I don’t see this negativity,” Stefano Domenicali said on The Race podcast. “You journalists are becoming too much like engineers, but people want action. You know me, if there are things that don’t work, I have no problem saying it, but Formula 1 is still the pinnacle. In GT racing, people only talk about Max Verstappen; Kimi Antonelli was in Imola and all eyes were on him. We need to stay positive—not to defend ourselves, but because we truly believe in it. We love F1 for drivers pushing cars to the limit, but others don’t, and we are now moving beyond just the track. The technical issues will be resolved; I don’t see things as being so frustrating. We are looking at something bigger, which is the success of the sport.”
Pressed further by journalists, who accused him of focusing more on “new audiences” rather than long-time fans, the Italian CEO admitted: “I am the biggest fan there can be, and I can tell you that in China we saw the fastest lap in the history of the sport. This remains the essence of Formula 1—pushing boundaries and implementing new technologies. The drivers are still the best in the world, and that will remain the case in the future. But fans are at the center of everything we do; otherwise, ours would just be a technical exercise without any real perspective.”
In summary, Stefano Domenicali’s remarks highlight the current tension between Formula 1’s traditional technical identity and its modern commercial expansion. While purists and engineers may struggle with the shifting nature of the sport’s regulations, the leadership remains focused on a broader vision of global growth and fan entertainment. By prioritizing the “spectacle” and the celebrity of the drivers over pure technical perfection, F1 is betting that its record-breaking commercial success will eventually silence the skeptics as the 2026 technical kinks are ironed out in the long run.
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