F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali has hit out at those criticising the 2026 rules overhaul, especially Max Verstappen.
Little has been heard of the F1 boss - or indeed FIA president, Mohammed ben Sulayem - since he urged fans not to panic in the aftermath of pre-season testing.
However, the Italian has now found his voice, and while admitting that tweaks may be needed, insists the criticism is largely unfair. However, it is not only fans who have criticised the new rules, many drivers have hit out, and Domenicali's response is to essentially warn them not to bite the hand that feeds them.
Last week the FIA met with the teams and manufacturers in a bid to address the situation, with the focus on safety - in the wake of Oliver Bearman's Suzuka crash - and qualifying. Further meetings will take place today (Wednesday 15 April) and tomorrow, ahead of a "high-level" meeting next Monday which will be followed by an e-vote. Any proposed changes will then be put before the World Motor Sport Council, with some tweaks expected at the Miami Grand Prix next month.
Talking to Motorsport.com, Domenicali defended the rules overhaul, insisting that the result has gone down well with fans.
"I can see an incredible result in terms of positivity from the bigger fan base on what is the effect on the racing," he says. "Definitely, I take on board the criticism related to certain situations that we have to manage related mainly to qualifying.
"Qualifying has been always the place where the driver has to push as much as you can," he continues, "to see where the physical limits of the car and the driver really are. That's an area where we are working in these weeks, together with the drivers, together with the teams, coordinated by the FIA to see what the right adjustment could be without losing the right (track).
"We are managing it in the right way, with no panic, with a solid foundation, being ready to have different options."
Almost all the criticism, from fans and drivers alike, relates to energy management, which many believe is compromising the step forward the sport has taken in terms of the cars themselves.
In its determination to promote sustainability, and thereby retain existing manufacturers while welcoming the likes of Audi, GM and Ford, the sport has taken the reliance on electric power up several notches in a move that many, not just purists, believe is damaging to the true spirit of F1.
"I think it's very important to remember why we changed the regulations as an ecosystem," says Domenicali. "Five years ago, the manufacturers thought that the only way to progress in being involved in motorsport was to be 50-50 or trying to find the right balance between the internal combustion engine and electrification. That was a starting point.
"The regulations definitely have to be improved, as always when there is something that is totally new, because that step change has never been so big. But that was the reason."
According to Motorsport.com, "F1's own metrics have also seen an uptick in interest", the website pointing out that the "season's first three sold-out races in Australia, China and Japan all grew in attendance". However, such is the ongoing interest in the sport this was always going to be the case, however, let's not forget that tickets for these races were sold months, years, in advance, long before fans got to see the impact of the new rules.
F1 also claims that "TV viewership in its biggest markets is also up year on year by an average of 25%", though no details are given in terms of an aspect of the sport whose measurement metrics have always been 'suspect'.
"If I see the survey of what is going on all around the world with new fans of Formula 1, the result is magnificent," insists the Italian. "Everybody is saying: 'What is going on?' A lot of action, and this is what people want to see.
"Generally speaking, when we're talking about something it's great, because that generates a constructive discussion," he continues. "What I don't like is people who love to criticise. Criticising to criticise doesn't help anyone, and it has really zero effect.
"I think the discussions that have been in place since many months with the FIA, with the teams, now even more with the drivers, are going in the right direction. There are meetings now, actually this week, and also next week before Miami, to see what can be done to improve or to adjust the situation.
"Hopefully, before Miami, the FIA will inform us what would be the adjustment that would be done for two considerations. First is qualifying, trying to be as much as you can on full power or full braking, whatever it is. And on the other hand, of course, to make sure that certain concerns that drivers highlight will be fixed in the right way."
Almost all of the drivers, bar the dominating Mercedes pair, have been critical of the new rules, and while Domenicali admits to the criticism, insisting that, moving forward, the drivers are involved in the talks, only Max Verstappen is singled out.
"My conversations with them are definitely very open and they know that I do care about their opinions," he says. "I want them to be involved," he insists. "But of course, there is sometimes a sort of a gameplay that you have to have. If you speak to the drivers at the top, they are always very happy because they are winning. The others can be frustrated, also because they love a different way of racing, which I respect a lot.
"What I said to them is: 'Listen, guys, don't forget that what we are doing is because we did the right things together. So be respectful of a sport that gave to all of us an incredible opportunity to grow, to have a lot of money, and to develop a personality in the world that in other sports you may love better, they cannot give it to you'. That's what I told them, and I think that has been acknowledged.
"With Max, we have spoken many, many times since the beginning," he says. "So we understand that I understand his comments and he understands the bigger picture. Even today he has been in a meeting where he was very keen to give suggestions. So, you know, I don't want to fall into the trap of trying to create an antagonism because that's not me. It's not the way that we want to see that.
"So we're going to be together. He's the best driver, he's a world champion, multiple world champion, and of course, his voice has to be listened to. But of course, he knows that his voice also has a weight. And he needs to respect that weight because sometimes some people can take it the wrong way. And this is something that we should not allow to happen."
Take that whatever way you wish, but the F1 boss is clearly sending a message, a thinly veiled threat, if you will.
"I don't know if there is the same way of saying it in UK, but in Italy people believe that the grass of the neighbour is greener. And sometimes when you go on the other side, they say, 'Oh, my God, it's not true'. So respectful of what we have been able to achieve together, but also listening and being very, very open to any kind of remarks that we have done together. Without any kind of cap game that everyone is sometimes tempted to do.
"I think that the racing is very, very good," he insists. "And the more we talk together, the better it is for the sport. Because they are - and I say this because I'm old but I don't forget what I'm saying - the jewel of our sport. So we need to protect that jewel of our sport, as well as they have to protect the ecosystem which they are in."
Naturally, the F1 CEO has to protect his employer and its brand, but as we have said so many times in the past, what would Domenicali's reaction be were he still managing Ferrari?
Seemingly with his fingers in his ears and his eyes tightly closed, Domenicali is adamant that there is no need to panic, that everything is fine and dandy, and maybe it is. However, other brands have learned the hard way that failure to listen to your customers, failure to read the warning signs, failure to address issues is usually beginning of a long, slippery slide. Don't pee on a fan's shoes and tell them its raining.
As for Max, quite how he will see Domenicali's comments remains to be seen, but we all know what the Dutchman's like. So, how's about he walks away from F1 at the end of the season... only to return in 2028, once certain teams (and manufacturers) have sorted themselves out and certain driver contracts have come to an end.
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