The controversial conclusion to final 12 months’s world championship didn’t harm System 1’s fame or reputation, says the sequence’ CEO Stefano Domenicali.
A mean of 107 million individuals watched final 12 months’s season finale in Abu Dhabi reside, in accordance with F1. Nevertheless the title-deciding race resulted in acrimony when the future of the championship was modified by a controversial restart, which the sequence’ governing physique later admitted was organized in violation of its guidelines.
4 days handed earlier than Mercedes dropped their bid to enchantment towards the outcome which price Lewis Hamilton his eighth world title, which confirmed Max Verstappen as championship. However the fallout from the race continued for months.
The FIA enacted wide-ranging adjustments to how grands prix are run, essentially the most important of which was the ousting of F1 race director Michael Masi. It revealed a report detailing the errors made by Masi, who subsequently left the game’s governing physique. He and Nicholas Latifi – whose crash triggered the Security Automobile interval which preceded the restart – each acquired abusive social media messages together with loss of life threats.
Regardless of the controversial finish to final 12 months’s season, Domenicali believes F1 has emerged with its fame intact.
“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, however it’s there. So I don’t suppose that could be a harm of the fame, 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 severely that reality they usually wish to change it and to enhance the system. However on the finish of the day, the efficiency of all of the individuals concerned in F1 has one thing associated to his private functionality or private expertise or private good resolution or private errors. And that is one thing that shall be at all times in each sport.”
Domenicali made it clear that, because the FIA’s report discovered, there was no proof of foul play in Masi’s resolution.
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“What I can, as a result of in any other case I wouldn’t be on this place, I by no means, ever suppose that somebody is doing one thing on function to be towards somebody. That is one thing that I can not settle for as a result of if I might have slightly doubt about it, I wouldn’t be right here.
“You’ll be able to have errors, sure, 100%. You’ll be able to say errors, groups or drivers, everybody can do it. However I don’t wish to choose one thing that would have been due to a private imaginative and prescient of one thing that has occurred as a broken fame for F1.”
F1’s rising reputation demonstrates the sequence weathered the storm it confronted on the finish of 2021, Domenicali believes.
“Should you look [at] what’s the follow-up on what we’re having this 12 months, it’s immense,” he stated. “So if that may be so damaging, I wouldn’t see the numbers of individuals which can be coming to the races or following in all places around the globe.”
Race promoters have promoted big gross sales for the upcoming occasions, he added. “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 come back.
“So Belgium day-after-day shall be greater than 120,000 individuals; Zandvoort, you may 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 an important race and an important second a part of the season.”
As Verstappen leads closest rival Charles Leclerc by 80 factors with 9 races remaining, the prospects of this 12 months’s championship battle being determined on the ultimate race seem slim, Domenicali admitted.
“From the industrial perspective, I might like to see one other season the place you going to reach on the final lap of the final race – possibly with much less this confrontational level – as a result of that may be terrific, it will be implausible.
“[Yes] 80 factors, they’re rather a lot. However in F1, additionally from my earlier expertise, you need to say ‘by no means say by no means’.”
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Previous to changing into F1 CEO, Domenicali spent many years at Ferrari, finally rising to the function of crew principal. He was on the crew when Kimi Raikkonen achieved one of many biggest upsets in F1 historical past to win the championship.
“Keep in mind 2007, two races to go, we had been behind by 17 factors and Kimi was capable of win the championship in Brazil and nobody was anticipating that. I do know it’s a giant quantity, however I don’t see why Ferrari ought to [not get] again once more within the battle with Crimson Bull.
“Crimson Bull is a really robust crew, Mercedes will develop. However actually the one factor that I can say – as a result of I can not touch upon what due to my place, as you may 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 a number of a surprises, I’m positive, within the second half of the season, in all dimensions. So errors, reliability, climate circumstances, who is aware of?”
2022 F1 season
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