The sporting element of F1 remains important to CEO Stefano Domenicali, although Liberty Media has faced criticism in recent years for elements such as the Sprints. Criticism of the Saturday Sprint format has eased, but not completely disappeared, although the one used this year is probably the best we have had so far.
Domenicali, while believing that skeptics should not be completely ignored, has no doubts that Sprints work. In fact, he is not opposed to having up to eight per year, with the possibility of adding a little spice to the composition of the grid.
“I remember when we introduced them we received a lot of criticism from the purists, who we always have to listen to, even those who are not happy. But I think the situation has completely changed now. I think the change introduced this year is the right one for many reasons: separate qualifying and parc fermé. Today the flow is much better.”
Stefano Domenicali, CEO, Formula One Group
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
“I think we are not in a position to say that we will become like MotoGP, for example, with a full calendar with Sprints. But there is room for growth, maybe for a third of the calendar. And that could be a possibility.”
“And then of course there are some topics that are always very debatable. We can argue again whether we need to invert the grid, or half the grid, like F2 and F3 are doing. So it’s always things that keep the mind fresh, if I may say, with the intention of always keeping something interesting.”
From his point of view, despite being an F1 purist, Domenicali supports the idea of inverted grids. “Personally, I would say: ‘Why not? There is a lot of action. There is overtaking. You fight for points.’ Some people may say: ‘Oh, it’s a way of distorting the races.’ False? There is nothing false in what is believed to be the right format to produce a lot of action on the track. So I would be interested in discussing it again. Yes.”
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR24, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
More action
Domenicali says the ideal for F1 is for each session of a Grand Prix weekend to have a competitive element and something to interest fans. In particular, he doesn’t understand why, in an era when teams run endless simulations to perfect their set-ups, the normal F1 weekend format allows for three practice sessions that count for nothing other than helping engineers fine-tune the cars.
“Is it good entertainment for people who come on Friday to see the cars going around the track just to better prepare for qualifying and the race?” he asked. “I mean, is that what people want to see?”
“Teams have invested a lot in simulation tools to do that. My dream is that every time you go out on the track there is something to fight for. That’s the nature of racing. That’s the nature of the drivers, that they always want to be first, and that’s why we should aim for that kind of goal in the future.”
“I think we’re on the right track. We’re doing the right things and the excitement that we bring to the Sprints is very evident, because a lot of promoters would love to have them. So now is a good time to look at what’s the best venue to have a good fight, and also the best way to create the right frequency within the calendar.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
The debate on city circuits
One of the changes F1 has seen in the Liberty Media era is to bring the series to the fans, which means more city races. While some new additions, such as Qatar, have been on permanent circuits, for other venues, such as Las Vegas, Miami and Saudi Arabia, it has meant new street circuits.
Now, with the addition of Madrid and potentially Bangkok, the nature of the F1 calendar seems to be moving further and further away from its traditional base of permanent venues. But while there is no escaping the fact that there are more street circuits on the calendar, Domenicali doesn’t think there are too many of them.
“I would say we want to be balanced,” he said. “We don’t want to swing from one side to the other, but it’s important for us to have good races. I remember one of the biggest criticisms before the Las Vegas Grand Prix was, ‘Oh come on, it’s going to be a race where there’s no overtaking, no drama, no action, and so on.'”
“And we actually proved that those who didn’t wait to speak up until after the event were completely wrong. We had an incredible race.”
“It is certainly essential to respect historical places. But history is not everything; history is a good basis for investing in the future. We are not worried about finding the right solution, about having the right entertainment, everyone can have a different opinion. There are drivers who love permanent tracks, others who love trying to drive in cities”.
“As I said, the right answer, as always, is to be balanced. And that would certainly be my approach.”
Craig Dolby stands in for Brad Pitt during a movie shoot on the grid
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Film Opportunities
One of Liberty Media’s successes since taking over has been the impact of Netflix: Drive to Survive, which has brought a new audience to F1. Along with the opening up of social media channels, it has nurtured a new generation of fans who have helped the popularity of Grand Prix racing remain skyrocketing post-Covid.
But if Netflix’s impact has been huge, Domenicali thinks the new F1 film, which hits the big screen next June, will take things to the next level.
Asked about the impact the film will have, Domenicali replied: “Huge! I think that if Netflix’s was big, I think the film, and we discussed the marketing and promotion plan in Hungary, will be huge. We will hit a target that is not yet present”.
Domenicali believes “F1” will work because FOM was clear with the directors that they had to push the boundaries. It couldn’t be just another racing movie.
“There was one element that was non-negotiable: to do something unique,” Domenicali added. “But in the context in which we cannot touch the racing itself, because that is the sport, with different cuts, with different elements. We are making a film.”
Actor Brad Pitt during the filming of the movie about F1
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
“So I think you’ll be fascinated to see the execution of it, because people will realize the complexity that we’re managing and the things that are behind it. It’s really impressive. I think it will be interesting for both parties, understanding that we’ve managed to keep the sport alive. But when you see the film, you’ll understand what it’s going to be.”
Domenicali also suggests that some of the camera angle ideas used in the film could be adopted by F1 itself for future onboarding, in order to improve its race coverage.
“We are developing together a new camera technology, with different camera angles,” Domenicali added. “So I would say it’s a nice way to develop some new technologies that we will bring later.”
Stefano Domenicali, CEO, Formula One Group
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Things You Can’t Control
Now in his fourth year at the helm of F1, Domenicali believes he has helped move things in the right direction, both for fans and for his bosses at Liberty Media.
“I don’t want to say ‘I’ because I’m a team player,” he said. “I think what we’ve managed to do is take Formula 1 to a level that not many people thought we could reach. So the growth that we’re experiencing, the beauty of what we’re talking about, is really what we should be very proud of.”
“I’m not looking at our market capitalization right now. That’s not for me. That’s for our shareholders, and we have Greg to thank. [Maffei] and Liberty Media for the trust they have in me and in us.”
But Domenicali isn’t seeing everything as rosy and believes there are still challenges to overcome. “We’re always in a push mode,” he said. “You know me. You’re always happy, but never this happy…”
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, the rest of the grid at the start
Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images
And he offered a particularly fascinating answer, which ties into the sustainability rationale for the 2026 rule changes, about the things that keep him up at night – with the memory of the cancellation of the Imola race in 2023 due to flooding that is obviously still very bad.
“I need to sleep because we’re working so hard,” he said, smiling. “I’m not one to worry about something I can’t control, because that’s something I always feel: Behind every problem, there’s an opportunity.”
“But there are things that, obviously, we can’t control, that are out of our control and that could have an impact. We are a global sport.”
“We know that the political environment is delicate. We have been hit by some things related to so-called climate change. We have come very close, also in Hungary, as you know. So there are things that cannot be managed. But I think if we can manage what we can control, I think we are in a very good position.”
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