Stefano Domenicali believes Red Bull dominance is killing ‘interest’ in devoted F1 fans
Stefano Domenicali insisted that newer F1 fans are not affected by Red Bull's performances.
Stefano Domenicali, Max Verstappen
Red Bull Racing seems to be the dominant force in F1 this season. The Austrian team has won all three rounds so far. Two-time world champion Max Verstappen has not finished lower than 2nd as of now. Many have been concerned that this could potentially hurt the sport as viewers get tired of one-team dominance. However, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali insists this is only true for the veteran fans of the sport.
The 57-year-old acknowledged that the more engrossed F1 audience does not prefer to witness a single team leading the grid. Stefano Domenicali said, “It’s more for the avid fans that if you see a car that is dominant, that’s creating a level of less interest.” On the other hand, Domenicali was convinced that the newer fans were not affected by Red Bull’s pace. He continued, “For the new market, for the new fans that are coming to the business, this is not really very important.”
Moreover, Stefano Domenicali emphasized that the sport has grown massively in recent years. With several new tracks being added to the calendar. Such growth has not been hampered by Red Bull winning the title by a huge margin in 2022. The F1 CEO explained, “What is interesting to see in the new markets when the new audience is coming in, that [Red Bull’s dominance] is not a real important factor.”
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Stefano Domenicali expects “others to catch up” to Red Bull
Domenicali accepted that the Milton Keynes-based team had worked extensively to gain a lead over its rivals. However, the 57-year-old was optimistic that the F1 cost cap would eventually allow other teams to close the gap with Christian Horner‘s squad. Stefano Domenicali stated, “I’m very confident that with the budget cap. This situation will evolve in the best way for the better competition.”
The F1 CEO highlighted that the Austrian team has reduced testing time due to its cost cap breach in 2022. This could allow rivals such as Toto Wolff-led Mercedes or even Mike Krack’s Aston Martin to bridge the gap. He said, “I’m expecting the others to catch up. We need to wait and see the effect of the penalty they had last year with the wind tunnel reduction. The championship is very long, and I think we are going to have good surprises before the end.”
Thus, Stefano Domenicali insists that the newer F1 fans are less affected by Red Bull dominance than the sport’s old viewers. Although, the F1 CEO understood the need for closer competition on the grid. However, it remains to be seen whether Domenicali’s prediction of a closer grid will come true over the course of 2023. The devoted fans of the sport hope for a challenge to the Austrian team.
In case you missed it:
- “Not taking anything for granted,” Christian Horner is cautious about ‘big updates’ from Ferrari and Mercedes
- “Hugely premature,” Christian Horner fires back at Fred Vasseur for questioning Red Bull cost cap penalty’s severity
Armaan Agarwal
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