Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has hit back at drivers criticizing the sport’s new regulations, saying it is “wrong” for the likes of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton to speak negatively about F1.
This weekend’s Australian Grand Prix will mark the start of a new era of F1, which has been heralded as the biggest rule change in the sport’s 76-year history.
Multiple elements of the regulations have been changed to accommodate new hybrid engines that derive 50% of their power from sustainable fuels and 50% from an electric motor.
During preseason testing in Bahrain, a number of drivers raised concerns about the added emphasis on electrical power and the need to manage energy around the lap rather than push the car to the limit.
Verstappen labelled the new formula as “anti-racing” while Hamilton said “none of the fans are going to understand it.”
In an interview with Sky Sports on the eve of the new season in Australia, Domenicali responded to the drivers’ reaction to F1’s new rules.
“I think it’s wrong, in general terms, to talk bad about an incredible world that is allowing all of us to grow,” he said. “And that’s the only thing that I would say is not right.
“But, you know, I always listen [with] prudency. There is an evolution of driving, it means that the best driver will be able to be the fastest.”
During Thursday’s media day in Melbourne, Verstappen doubled down on his position by saying the limitations of the new power units were obvious to F1 insiders long before the cars started running on track in testing.
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The concern is that some circuit layouts, such as Melbourne’s Albert Park, present so few opportunities to charge the battery under heavy braking that drivers are forced to harvest energy on parts of the track — such as high-speed corners — where they have previously driven flat-out.
By sacrificing lap time to strategically top up the battery in certain sections of the track, the recovered energy can then be used to lower the overall lap time through extended periods of energy deployment under acceleration.
Despite the emphasis on energy management under the new formula, Domenicali said it was good for F1 that fans’ focus is on the track.
“I’m feeling good,” he added. “I’m feeling good because we have the duty of bringing positivity in this moment of what we live in. I feel good because there is a lot of attention about what is happening on the track.
“I feel good because we are in Melbourne with an incredible crowd, incredible, passionate people. We have seen another step of being very attractive for the younger generation, and that’s thanks to what we are trying to do together.
“That’s why I do believe that the strategy we have taken is the right one. To keep really hammering down, knowing that we can sit and be focused on delivering something more for our fans.”
The increase in electrical power was agreed by F1 stakeholders in 2022 at a time when governments around the world were legislating against the long-term future of petrol-powered cars, thereby forcing manufacturers to shift focus to the production of electric vehicles.
Keen to attract Audi to the sport as a factory team, F1 invited the German manufacturer into its discussions with existing power unit manufacturers about the direction of the new regulations, which ultimately led to the three-fold increase in electric power and switch to advanced sustainable fuels.
The rule change also convinced Honda to U-turn on its decision to make a clean exit from F1 at the of 2025 when its deal with Red Bull came to an end.
“This year we are bringing a new power unit for the reason that was obvious a couple of years ago: We wanted to attract more manufacturers,” Domenicali explained.
“We knew that the sustainable fuel was an element that would be attractive for the manufacturers, knowing that in terms of mobility, manufacturers should focus not only on electrification. And that’s why this project started.”
In Friday’s second practice session for the Australian Grand Prix, the fastest lap time set by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was 3.3 seconds off the fastest time from the same session last year.
Domenicali is confident that gap will narrow as the cars develop and said he remains open to any tweaks to the regulations that might improve the sport overall.
“I think that the possibility to develop this car, both from the engineering point of view and also from the driver’s point of view, will enable us to see very, very soon a car that will be faster,” he said.
“The world of engineers behind F1 is incredible. The approach that we have discussed already in the last F1 Commission with the FIA, with the teams, very openly. If we see something that needs to be addressed, we’re going to address it in the right way.
“But I think that now we are on a course where everyone realises that if there is something clear that has to be done to improve [F1], why not? Let’s do it.”
