28/04/2025
NEWS STORY
In a further bid to cut spending and reshape the sport, Stefano Domenicali warns that technical innovation in F1 is under threat.
Almost from the day he took control of the sport, long-time fans of F1 have felt that the former Ferrari boss has effectively changed sides, no longer seeing F1 as a technically driven sport but as a money making form of entertainment.
For decades the sport's powers that be had sought a means of reducing costs, preventing the admittedly crazy spending war that took F1 to the brink of extinction. And yet, for the most part, the teams refused, at times threatening to walk away and form their own series.
Then came Liberty and things quickly changed, suddenly, with barely a whimper, the teams were on board.
Of course, other than preventing teams going bust the spending cap was seen as a means of levelling the playing field - at least that is what was promised - and yet the basic order remains the same, and it is mainly thanks to convergence that the field has appeared to close.
And while, for the most part, the racing has not improved the value of the teams has soared, with all ten said to be worth "north of a billion" and several much, much more.
Consequently new teams have been attracted, despite the initial resistance of the 'old firm', and despite the talk of tradition, innovation and excellence one cannot help but feel that the 'everyone gets a sizeable (financial) prize' is a major part of the attraction.
In a few short years the sport has changed as its new owners and effective shareholders seek a new audience, an audience not so much interested in technical innovation or cutting edge competition, but the popularity factor.
"It's race week," declare all the teams on social media, as they begin whipping the fans into a frenzy, while the drivers pout, flogging the latest merchandise as they pose with their pets and girlfriends.
In the moments before the lights go out, music is pumped out around the circuits, and race previews focus more on the DJs and bands providing the entertainment over the weekend than the racing.
Little by little what attracted many long standing fans to the sport has been left by the wayside, yet while the sport became more and more of a soap, a circus even, there was always the fact that F1 remained the pinnacle of motorsport courtesy of its innovation.
A couple of years back McLaren was effectively in the doldrums, but thanks to investment, a number of well thought out hirings, determination and an impressive upgrade programme, the Woking team is back on top again.
Yes as the team clams back-to-back victories in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, its rivals are planning their own upgrades intended to take the fight all the way to Abu Dhabi.
However, speaking to Motorsport.com, Domenicali has issued his most worrying warning yet as to the future of the sport, as he claims that teams are still spending too much and that - in terms of the new fans - this is wasted.
It's a claim that at one time would have made technical directors and even team owners shudder, but under Liberty the less you spend means the more profit.
"Fans of my generation need to rethink what creates performance and technological interest," says the Italian. "Focusing on sustainable fuels is absolutely the right path," he adds.
"But, and this may sound provocative," he admits, "having teams invest huge amounts in designing their own gearboxes no longer makes sense.
"The performance gains are minimal," he insists. "Fans no longer see it as an exciting area of development. We need to identify areas where technology and entertainment overlap.
"Many things that once seemed cutting-edge no longer justify major investment. We must have the courage to accept that the landscape has evolved."
His comments come at a time Carlos Sainz lauds the anodyne Madring, and Pirelli admits to the "shared desire among all key stakeholders in our sport to create the conditions for unpredictable and spectacular races", while broadcasters and much of the media continue to hype up this new version of the sport.
Ironically, for a man who appears to have long forgotten his roots and what surely attracted him to the sport in the first place, Domenicali admits to missing some of the old technical scandals that used to dominate F1.
"I've lived through many," he says. Malaysia '99, the double diffuser, FRIC, mass dampers, F-ducts... all part of F1's story.
"I used to be hands-on with technical and sporting regulation debates almost every Sunday," he recalls. "Years ago, there were far broader grey areas than today, but F1 people still know how to push everything to the limit.
"Personally, I feel today's controversies are relatively minor," he admits. "In fact, it'd be nice to have a bit more of that again, they're the spice of the sport."
Yet now, the only genuine "spice" in F1 would seem to be when Christian Horner calls on his wife to give a bit of moral support during times of crisis.
While the new F1 fan may not see technical innovation "as an exciting area of development" and the sport needs "to identify areas where technology and entertainment overlap", the fact is that, for many, the sport is already in crisis.
A crisis because the teams are fully on board, bought and paid for, and, unlike the old days, showing no signs of resisting the remorseless drive to turn F1 into just another form of entertainment.