Formula One Group CEO Stefano Domenicali says that the dominance of Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing is only found boring by a vocal minority of those invested in the discipline.
During an interview on ESPN’s SportsCenter, the longtime team principal turned group executive says its important that the league does not manufacturer parity or excitement and that the reign of the Dutchman creates a legend in a long list of them in F1 history.
“What I think is right to say (is) we are not manufacturing, you know, fake results because someone is doing better than the others,” Domenicali said. “That’s not the objective of the sport.”
Without naming them specifically, Domenicali said Verstappen is just the latest champion to enjoy an era after the reigns of Lewis Hamilton. Sebastian Vettel, Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna vs. Alain Prost
“The great racers who won for many years — many, many years — one behind the others and this (was) not a factor in not attracting people because if there are too many racers that are winning, you are not able to beat the legend.
“So, we need to respect the fact that, so far, Max has been the best driver and maybe soon there will be someone that will take that place.”
The triple World Champion has won 48 of the 70 races contested over the past three-plus seasons. He won all but three races last season behind the wheel of the RB19 and the RB20 looks just as dominant.
What would Domenicali say to fans who believe the dominance is boring?
“There are very, very few,” Domenicali said. “I would say we are all sold out everywhere around the world (and) that awareness numbers are growing.
“So, I think that they are a very limited number but they should stay focused on our sport because there are big, big things happening. All the cars are very close and things can always happen at every single moment so I would advise them to stay with us.”
Domenicali says big change has come to the weekly format in terms of sprint races on select Saturdays but he also believes there is too much practice for most events.
“Too much space to free practice is something that is not relevant anymore,” he said. “So that is what we need to be focused on in the future.”
His argument is that teams have so much simulation data now that it makes practice obsolete but he also recognizes that there are sessions fans at the track and watching around the globe expect from the league.
“The need for all of us is making sure that we do things for the people,” Domenicali said. “I understand that from a technical point of view, we have drivers and engineers … and it’s like a rehearsal.
“But people want to see a live show and I really do believe it’s a sport where we need to minimize the practice in the best way you can.”
In advance of the race at Miami, and for a company that is now owned by Liberty Media in the United States, Domenicali says representation on the gird is important but not at the expense of the best drivers and teams, holistically.
“It’s for sure important but the passport is not a factor that is so relevant if it’s not really something related to performance,” he said. “Of course, today we have a team (Haas) that is American.
“We have a driver, Logan Sargeant, that is an American driver but the passport cannot be seen as a boomerang because, of course, if there’s no performance, that would be a problem.
“So, I would love to see Americans, I would love to see Italians. We are missing by them, by the way, and some other nationalities but I think the beauty of our sport is really is passport neutral.”
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.
