As F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali has overseen a series of significant changes to the sport in recent years. Perhaps the most controversial is the introduction of Sprint Races, intended to create more action throughout a race weekend. Domenicali reveals he is open to introducing more sprint races – in a bid to add more jeopardy to Formula 1.
Liberty Media oversees the growth of F1
The last few seasons have seen Formula 1 grow in popularity across the globe.
Several factors are responsible for this, although perhaps the most significant was the intense Championship battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in 2021.
Much like rivalries of the past, this competition for the crown created the conditions for an enthralling F1 campaign.
Drive to Survive also deserves some credit, catapulting F1 (which already enjoyed over 100 million annual viewers in the early 2010s) further into the mainstream.
Domenicali makes the case for Sprint Races
To capitalise on this growth and momentum, Stefano Domenicali has pushed for a series of significant changes.
Sprint Races are easily the most notable and, even after four seasons, most hotly debated.
Speaking in a recent interview, the F1 CEO made the case for having more Sprint Races:
“I think that the change we’ve introduced this year is the right one for many reasons,” he told motorsport.com.
“With separate qualifying and parc ferme. The flow is much better today.
“I think that we are not in a position to say that we’re going to be like MotoGP, for example, with a full race calendar situation of sprints.
“But there is margin to grow, maybe for one-third of the calendar. That could be a possibility.”
Ultimately, race weekends with Sprint races will consistently generate more viewership on Fridays.
Sprint qualifying sessions, which determine the starting order for the Sprint race, can be counted on to receive more attention than free practice sessions.
However, the last few months are evidence that one factor reigns supreme in determining high viewership and fan engagement – competition at the front.
With four different teams fighting for wins, the F1 world is experiencing its most exciting moment since 2021.
These fierce battles at the front, as opposed to format tweaks, most consistently generate a better quality racing product.
