Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has gone on record suggesting that the majority of the sport’s followers are not interested in the technicalities, and instead, only want to see overtaking.
His comments come after a season during which top drivers have regularly criticized the direction of the rules in 2026, even after tweaks introduced for the Miami race in May. Max Verstappen, in particular, has denounced overtaking triggered by differences in power unit deployment as artificial, far removed from the traditional art of racing.
Domenicali’s views highlighted an apparent disconnect between traditional fans of the sport and those who have come to it more recently, very often via the Netflix Drive to Survive series. The F1 CEO voiced his opinion in a media call on Wednesday, during which he was asked about a lack of battery charge information in TV graphics that could add extra context to on-track battles between drivers.
“I think that the truth is exactly the other way around,” he said. “Because no one is interested on how you drive your car. The people are interested if you are overtaking or not. That’s the vast majority of the people. I agree with you — that certain people are focused on this thing, that is very important. It’s like when you were opening the DRS, people that were not interested what was the point to pass.”
Domenicali referenced a conversation he had on the subject with a Hollywood legend in Budapest the previous weekend. “I had an incredible and interesting discussion with George Lucas on Saturday,” he said. “And he was giving me an incredible view on how the new fans are watching F1. And I think that it gave us an incredible clearance to see how we can really simplify things, because the new fans are not understanding the truth — what is behind the scenes. They are fascinated [by] the fact that there is a lot of action.”
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George Lucas, director of THX 1138 and American Graffiti.
“So I think, on that there is definitely the need for the ones that are so focused on that to have the right information. But for the vast majority of the people, trust me— they just want to see what is happening on the track. [They’re] not interested on the angle of throttle, or the passages of brake pressure on how you can overtake a driver.”
He cited Verstappen’s spectacular double pass on Liam Lawson and Lewis Hamilton in the Hungarian race as a case study. “For example, an incredible overtaking of Max and Lewis, in Turn 1 in Hungary,” he said. “These [moves] are a piece of [what], if I may say, that these people just want to see, and just [be] connected to the quality of the drivers. At the end of the day, this is a skill that the driver can have, on how you can maximize the performance of your car — no matter if it’s braking, accelerating, [using] power that is done by the electrification or not. That’s what I think is happening. Of course, for a niche of our fans, this data is relevant; and of course it is available. But as I said, for the vast majority [of fans], that’s what we receive as an information.”
Domenicali also downplayed any frustration he might have felt at the ongoing criticism of the rules from drivers — notably Verstappen, with Oscar Piastri also having been very vocal in recent weeks. “We are not here to put the tape on the mouth of anyone,” he said. “I mean, the beauty of our sport is that everyone can have an opinion, but the opinion is an opinion. There is someone that has the duty to have a line. There are certain drivers that prefer, of course, certain things, that I think that in the process we have highlighted the need to be constructive in that respect.”
“You know very well how much I respect our jewels that are the drivers,” he said. “But of course, they need to understand that that there is one path that we need to take together. And the fans as a priority — on top of everyone, even me — that they can have a personal opinion. But I have the duty to make a summary on what is the best for the sport. But I think that the situation is very strong, very solid with all the stakeholders today. So we need to look ahead and make sure that the sport is growing, as I said, all together in the right way.”
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Domenicali also played down the suggestion that Verstappen might walk away from the sport. “I have an incredible relation[ship] with him, so I think that F1 is big enough for him to be part of us,” he said. “But, of course, he will decide his future the way that he prefers to do, and the sport will look ahead. My opinion is that Max will stay with us — and I really hope so, and that’s what I’m thinking. As I said, the sport is big, much bigger than anyone else. All of us.”