F1 News: Unrealistic Domenicali even floats shorter grands prix

(GMM) A day after hinting at more sprint races and even reverse grids, it emerges that F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali went even further than that, suggesting the length of grands prix themselves could be cut.

In his sit-down with select media ahead of the Italian GP at Monza, Domenicali argued the sport must adapt to younger audiences, who he believes are less willing to tolerate or enjoy full race distances.

Editor’s Note: With all his latest ideas to change the very fabric of F1, it’s clear Domenicali is not in a sound state of mind. With the speed of today’s cars, the races are already too short. And reverse grids – who is going to pay for all the crash damage?

“Some of the world’s best sports have been inspired by our work, so it’s time for us to take things a step further,” he said, referring to the changes made since Liberty Media took over in 2017.

Domenicali admitted many fans still enjoy the traditional format, but warned that Formula 1 cannot ignore data showing highlight packages are often more popular than full race replays.

“There’s also the issue of the length of the competitions,” said the former Ferrari boss. “We believe they’re too long for young people.

“Perhaps for us, who were born with this format, it’s fine this way, but there’s a large segment of the audience that only wants to see the highlights.

“Today, everything is going very well, but precisely for that reason, we shouldn’t rest on our laurels, but rather think about what the next step will be.”

The Italian insisted his main aim is to make sure F1 stays relevant into the new era.

“We see that younger fans are only interested in the exciting moments of the weekend,” said Domenicali.