Domenicali: Aside from older die-hard fans, everyone wants sprints

It is not yet clear what Domenicali means by "everyone" who wants to have more Sprint weekends over the course of the F1 season. Does he mean the Drive to Survive generation that has the attention span of a goldfish and who will probably switch off the sport once the Netflix docuseries ends?

Because, as it seems, Domenicali and Co. within the Formula One Management continue their tireless push to contaminate the sport with gimmicks such as reverse grids, in addition to the talk about increasing Sprint Races to somewhere between 6 and 24, and not to mention dragging the F1 Circus around the world to destinations that are irrelevant with the only aim to line up Liberty Media's pockets until the day comes when they decide to offload the sport for a huge profit, but not before ruining it and stripping it from its soul.

Maybe we should thank Mr. Domenicali for not following in the footsteps of MotoGP and making all weekends with a Sprint format, while there are some worrying signs that drivers, who in their majority have been against Sprint Races, are apparently shifting in their opinions, while it must be said that their support to change is not unconditional.

After recent comments about looking into reverse grids, Domenicali, ahead of the 2025 Italian Grand Prix, once again took a dig at genuine F1 fans.

He said: "I have to say that aside from some older die-hard fans, everyone wants sprint weekends. Promoters push for this format, and now the drivers are interested as well."

But at least the Italian admitted his statements may offend the loyal F1 fanbase that has followed the sport for years and helped transform it into the global series it is today.

He added: "I’m being a bit provocative, but free practice appeals to super-specialists; people who want to see more action prefer a sprint weekend.

"There’s more to discuss and comment on from Friday—there’s a qualifying session—but I understand it has to become part of F1 culture.

“The direction is clear: I can guarantee that in a few years there will be the demand to have all weekends with the same format.

"I’m not saying we’ll get to MotoGP, which has a sprint at every round—that’s too big a step. I see it more as a maturation process that respects a more traditionalist approach," the F1 boss concluded.

But it is quite hard to see how the "traditionalist approach" will be respected when more of the Sprint Races, or the glorified practice sessions, are shoved down their throats more often than not over the course of an F1 season.

However, there is a voice of reason when it comes to increasing F1 Sprint Race weekends, and while many criticize him, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem believes increasing the number of Sprint weekends has to be approached with caution.

The Emirati's comments came in the aftermath of F1's confirmation of six weekends with the Sprint format for 2026: China, Miami, Canada, Britain, Netherlands, and Singapore.

Speaking to Viaplay, Ben Sulayem said: "Commercially, I understand his position. Stefano is a good friend; we speak five times a week.

"But I also always consider the additional burden on our staff. They already travel a lot, and it’s very tiring to get more races.

"You also have to ask yourself if it’s good for the teams. There are multiple interests at stake. If you only focus on the sporting side, you run into commercial problems and vice versa. Both must be balanced," the FIA boss concluded.