Formula 1 seeking to shorten Grand Prix's in the near future?
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has opened the door to the possibility of shorter races in the future, aiming to better cater to the younger generation of fans the sport has attracted in recent years.
Riding the wave of popularity following the release of the Netflix series Drive to Survive, Formula 1 continues to post record-breaking numbers both on track and across social media, increasingly appealing to younger generations while still maintaining its core fan base.
Even on social media, interest in the premier class is clearly very high. To give an example: the latest highlights video from last Sunday’s Dutch GP garnered 6 million views, continuing the trend set by previous races on the platform.
It’s precisely these key moments that Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has focused on, among other topics, during a media session with Italian press on the eve of the Monza GP.
Are F1 races too long?
The former Italian team principal also addressed the current length of Grand Prix races, which he believes are too long for younger audiences, citing the strong viewership numbers generated by highlight clips.
“There’s the issue of race length: we believe it’s a bit too long for younger viewers,'' he said. ''We’re seeing on many of our channels that highlight reels are hugely popular—perhaps for those of us who grew up with the full format it’s fine, but a large portion of the audience only wants to see the key moments.''
According to Domenicali, the fact that Formula 1 is posting impressive numbers is not a reason to rest on its laurels; rather, it’s a prompt to anticipate new moves for the future.
''Things are going very well today, but precisely because of that, we shouldn’t rest on our laurels; we need to think about the next step forward.”
Current Grand Prix last roughly an hour and a half, excluding delays caused by extreme weather, accidents, or frequent safety cars. For years, Formula 1 has also introduced sprint races, lasting about a third of a full Grand Prix.
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