Domenicali’s strategy boosts F1 with Sprints; Brad Pitt’s upcoming film expected to magnify its allure in 2025.
Stefano Domenicali, CEO of F1, continues to champion a shift towards more Sprint-type weekends.
According to the FOM, these weekends are far more appealing on all levels, for F1, promoters, and fans, whether trackside or watching on television.
“A few weeks ago, we announced the Spring 2025 calendar featuring races across six events: China, Miami, Belgium, Austria, Brazil, and Qatar. The Spring continues to be a tremendous success, with a higher TV audience for the Sprint qualifying on Friday and the Sprint race on Saturday compared to traditional practice sessions.”
“These events also bring additional action on the track for our fans attending the events, offering extra value for promoters. 80% of fans surveyed after the China Grand Prix stated they preferred the new sprint format, and we look forward to maintaining this momentum into 2025.”
Regarding promoters, indeed, the interest continues to surge, particularly from Africa. Rwanda has approached F1, but it is not the only country. One thing is certain: Liberty Media will continue to drive up the stakes without increasing the number of races each year.
“As for race promotion, the demand remains high from potential new hosts.”
“We currently have no intention of exceeding 24 races per season, as our duty is to ensure the right strategic balance for the long-term future of the sport. The additional benefit of this demand with a limited race slot creates increased incentives for promoters to innovate and enhance the race experience across the calendar.”
“More and more promoters are committing to invest in their races. For example, Hungary has committed to significant renovations, including constructing a new pit building starting in 2026. We are also witnessing instances of high-quality entertainment from the promoters, including the Barcelona Fan Event, the Thursday concert at Silverstone, etc. And, of course, we are looking forward to returning to Las Vegas after an incredible show in 2023.”
“We announced the 2025 calendar much earlier this year, giving teams and promoters more time to prepare and market their events. We are now continuing to focus and optimize the calendar for 2026 and beyond.”
Domenicali is also pleased with the completion of filming for the F1 movie, which will be released in just under a year from now. He also reflects on the six seasons of Drive to Survive.
“We are also making significant progress in fan engagement opportunities outside the race weekend. In partnership with Apple and Warner Brothers, we were thrilled to recently confirm that the highly anticipated movie titled F1, featuring Brad Pitt, directed by Joseph Kosinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, will be released on June 25, 2025.”
“We were excited to broadcast the film’s teaser during the buildup to the British Grand Prix. The theme is unique in that it is filmed authentically during our race weekend, and it will be an excellent opportunity for our sport to reach new fans and engage the audience.”
“The sixth season of Drive to Survive, after reaching the top 10 on Netflix in over 40 markets, has seen its global audience exceed 100 million viewers in the first five months following its release. Across all six seasons to date, the cumulative audience of the series is close to 800 million.”
Domenicali Highlights F1’s Peak Competitiveness
Formula 1 has presented a robust financial report to its shareholders for the first half of 2024.
Revenues and profits have increased, as we reported earlier today.
However, it is the competitiveness of the field that has significantly advanced in the second quarter, following initial fears of another season dominated by Red Bull Racing.
“Despite early questions, this season is proving to be one of the most competitive since 2012,” notes Greg Maffei, CEO of Liberty Media, owner of F1.
“In the first 14 races, we’ve seen seven different winners and eight drivers have made it to the podium. We are on track to have the tightest constructors’ championship among the top four since 2012 as well.”
“The time difference between the front and back of the grid at this stage of the season is also the tightest since the start of the current qualifying system in 2010.”
“The driver market for 2025 continues to generate interest and excitement with Carlos Sainz moving to Williams, the announcement of Ocon’s arrival at Haas, and the promotion of Ferrari’s current reserve driver Bearman to the same team. And the biggest open question remains what Mercedes will do with its vacant seat.”
For Stefano Domenicali, CEO of F1, “the 2024 season offers incredible racing and action to our fans at home and at our sold-out events.”
“F1 continues to prove there is incredible competition on the track. Over 14 races this season, we’ve had seven different winners from four teams. The gaps between teams are narrowing both in qualifying and in races.”
“In Emilia-Romagna, Max beat Lando by just seven tenths of a second, following Lando’s incredible win in Miami. In Monaco, we saw Charles claim his first home victory. In Canada, the gap between the top four in qualifying was a tenth of a second, and we saw Mercedes return to the top step of the podium with George’s win in Austria and Lewis’s at Silverstone, setting a new record of 9 wins at a single race.”
“Hungary saw another excellent race, ending with Oscar’s first F1 victory with the McLarens finishing 1 and 2 and Hamilton completing the podium. At Spa, we had an incredible race with very tight margins throughout, and the lead changed hands multiple times.”
“George crossed the finish line first after a thrilling final battle against Lewis but was disqualified post-race because the car did not meet the required weight, meaning Lewis took his second win of the season, with Oscar second and Charles third.”
“In many ways, we have never seen F1 as competitive. I expect the rest of the 2024 season to continue delivering great races to our fans. And as we look towards the future, increasingly close races offer very exciting prospects for 2025.”
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