The second half of the 2022 Components 1 season will get underway this weekend, with the motive force and fan favorite Belgian Grand Prix.
After a dominant first half of the yr, Max Verstappen has taken an 80-point lead into the ultimate 9 races, with Purple Bull Racing additionally in cruise management of the Constructors’ with a 97-point lead.
Charles Leclerc is the one candidate actually who can cease the Dutchman from claiming consecutive World titles; nevertheless, the Monegasque driver wants victory this weekend ought to he want to put the Purple Bull driver beneath some stress.
Many deem the title struggle already over as a result of dimension of the hole.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali thinks in any other case, with something being potential in F1.
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“From the business perspective, I’d like to see one other season the place you going to reach on the final lap of the final race – perhaps with much less this confrontational level – as a result of that may be terrific, it might be implausible.
“[Yes] 80 factors, they are lots. However in F1, additionally from my earlier expertise, you need to say ‘by no means say by no means’.”
Domenicali was Ferrari’s group principal when Kimi Raikkonen received the 2007 Drivers’ Championship, the place the Finn got here from a great distance again to beat each Sir Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso to the crown.
“Bear in mind 2007, two races to go, we have been behind by 17 factors and Kimi was in a position to win the championship in Brazil and nobody was anticipating that,” the Italian stated.
While these days 17 factors isn’t many, again in 2007 a victory solely claimed a driver 10 factors, significantly lower than the 25 seen in the present day.
“I do know it’s a giant quantity, however I don’t see why Ferrari ought to [not get] again once more within the struggle with Purple Bull.
“Purple Bull is a really sturdy group, Mercedes will develop. However actually the one factor that I can say – as a result of I can’t touch upon what due to my place, as you possibly can perceive – is that they shouldn’t surrender in any respect as much as the final second.
“As a result of we’re going to have numerous a surprises, I’m positive, within the second half of the season, in all dimensions. So errors, reliability, climate circumstances, who is aware of?”
It’s been a difficult yr for Domenicali as CEO, as himself and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem have needed to considerably restore the game’s status.
F1 arguably turned tarnished after the 2021 season finale, the place race director on the time Michael Masi did not comply with the rulebook concerning the race’s late Security Automobile for Nicholas Latifi’s crash.
As is properly documented by now, Masi ought to’ve not solely allowed all of the lapped automobiles to unlap themselves; he ought to’ve additionally stored the Security Automobile out for the ultimate lap.
Had this occurred, then the race would’ve completed behind it, with Hamilton claiming the Abu Dhabi GP victory and, most significantly, an eighth World Championship.
Alas, the foundations weren’t adopted, and after an investigation into Masi’s dealing with of the incident it was deemed that he had certainly made a mistake, with the FIA placing the error all the way down to “human error”.
It left a darkish cloud over what was probably the best season within the sport’s historical past; nevertheless, the brand new rules for this season have nearly given the game a a lot wanted recent begin, one thing which appears to have restored the game’s status.
Domenicali doesn’t assume the championship’s status is “broken”, with errors potential in all areas.
“By way of picture, it’s like when there’s a soccer World Cup [final] and there’s a referee that’s making a mistake and there’s a penalty given that’s not there, but it surely’s there,” he added.
“So I don’t assume that could be a harm of the status, of the solidity of the championship, as a result of that’s one thing that may occur.
“What I see, to be sincere, is that the FIA has taken critically that reality they usually need to change it and to enhance the system.
“However on the finish of the day, the efficiency of all of the folks concerned in F1 has one thing associated to his private functionality or private expertise or private good choice or private errors. And that is one thing that may be all the time in each sport.”
Regardless of the season finale being eight months in the past, former F1 race director Masi remains to be receiving loss of life threats and an onslaught of abuse, each of that are utterly unacceptable.
The Australian remains to be being accused by members of the F1 on-line group of purposefully making Hamilton lose the title, one thing Domenicali “can’t settle for” with errors being one thing “everybody can do”.
“What I can, as a result of in any other case I wouldn’t be on this place, I by no means, ever assume that somebody is doing one thing on objective to be towards somebody,” Domenicali revealed.
“That is one thing that I can’t settle for as a result of if I’d have just a little doubt about it, I wouldn’t be right here.
“You possibly can have errors, sure, 100%. You possibly can say errors, groups or drivers, everybody can do it. However I don’t need to decide one thing that might have been due to a private imaginative and prescient of one thing that has occurred as a broken status for F1.”
The game has recovered higher than anybody may’ve predicted from final yr’s controversial finish, with extra races set for future calendars, extra nations desirous to host, new producers wanting to hitch and tons of of hundreds of followers shopping for tickets to attend.
The game is booming like by no means earlier than!
Domenicali revealed that the entire remaining races are already bought out, with quite a lot of races subsequent season having additionally come near promoting all of their tickets.
“For those who look [at] what’s the follow-up on what we’re having this yr, it’s immense,” he stated.
“So if that may be so unfavorable, I wouldn’t see the numbers of individuals which might be coming to the races or following all over the place world wide.
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“From Belgian as much as the top, all of the grands prix are bought out,” stated Domenicali.
“So lots of people have already booked the tickets to return.
“So Belgium day-after-day shall be greater than 120,000 folks; Zandvoort, you possibly can think about, the identical; Monza greater than 250,000 tickets bought; Singapore bought out and that’s actually one thing that’s already a reserve. So I actually hope that we’re going to have a terrific race and a terrific second a part of the season.”