Domenicali wants more 'spice' in F1 with today's 'minor controversies'

12:35, 24 Apr

byKada Sarkozi

Stefano Domenicali would like to have some more controversies in Formula 1. According to the Formula 1 CEO and President, that adds a bit of 'spice' to the competition.

The Italian has been around Formula 1 for a long time. First, he was a Ferrari employee, then became a team principal at the Scuderia, and he is now the president and CEO of Formula 1.

"I used to be hands-on with technical and sporting regulation debates almost every Sunday. Years ago, there were far broader grey areas than today – but F1 people still know how to push everything to the limit," he began to Motorsport.com.

Domenicali wants more spice added to F1

Partly because of the extensive rule book, there are less grey areas to be explained today, but there are still some controversies. For example, the stories of 2024 were the so-called flexiwings, and the alleged tyre watering.

Still, Domenicali would like to see a bit more of these. “Personally, I feel today’s controversies are relatively minor. In fact, it’d be nice to have a bit more of that again – they’re the spice of the sport.”

According to the Italian, F1 should consider how take better advantage of the entertainment value in trying to have a battle through technological advancements.

Domenicali also underlined that focusing on sustainable fuels is the right direction. "But – and this may sound provocative – having teams invest huge amounts in designing their own gearboxes no longer makes sense. The performance gains are minimal. Fans no longer see it as an exciting area of development."

"Many things that once seemed cutting-edge no longer justify major investment. We must have the courage to accept that the landscape has evolved," he concluded.

This article was written in collaboration with Kimberley Hoefnagel