Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali may have just passed some remarks that would result in immense frustration among all 10 teams. The Italian has not been afraid of voicing out his suggestions before despite the possibility of him facing severe backlash.
For example, last year, he stated that points should be handed out during free practice sessions, which he believes does not have a ‘purpose’. If this idea of his did not face enough criticism from teams last year, he has recently made an even more extreme statement.
Domenicali insists F1 should abolish free practice sessions
Stefano Domenicali was in attendance during the opening race of the 2023 MotoGP season this past weekend when he caused yet another stir. “I am in favour of cancelling the practice sessions that are of great benefit to the engineers, but which the public does not like,” said Domenicali.
The Italian said that he plans to gradually decrease these free practice sessions with more options for entertainment for the fans over the weekend. Domenicali’s recent remarks come after having made several contentious statements last year. The 57-year-old explained then how he had plans to hand out points during the free practice sessions.
Domenicali, presente nel #Portoguesegp di MotoGP, ha dichiarato: “Io sono per ridurre al minimo le prove libere. Interessano agli ingegneri….”
Rendetevi conto in mano a chi è finita la #F1
— Davide Russo 🏁↗️ (@F1Daviderusso) March 26, 2023
He said that such a change is important because he believes that there must always be something to fight for in sports. While he admitted that people have differing opinions on this subject, he made his stance clear that he wanted to find ways to make the sport more interesting for the fans.
Stefano Domenicali helped introduce F1 sprint races on weekends
Under the leadership of Stefano Domenicali, F1 has seen massive changes. Among the many changes, perhaps the most entertaining for fans has been the introduction of sprint race weekends. These weekends feature two races (one short and one long) instead of one.
Fridays feature one practice session followed by qualifying, while Saturdays feature another practice session followed by a sprint race. The qualifying on Friday determines the grid for the sprint race on Saturday.
The sprint race features a drag race of 100 km to determine the grid for Sunday’s main race. Since points are offered during both the sprint and the main race, these sorts of F1 weekends are usually more entertaining than the way they were planned originally.
As per the original schedule, Fridays have two practice sessions. Meanwhile, Saturdays feature a practice session followed by qualifying later in the day. The main race then takes place on Sundays.
