"Formula 1 should not become WWE 2; This ain’t a TV show"- Fans react to F1 chief's proposed changes for increasing sport's engagement

F1 chief Stefano Domenicali recently proposed a few suggestions to make the sport "more entertaining" and to have more audience engagement. He suggested having extra points for practice sessions, the introduction of a reverse grid, and some more ideas to this effect. The Italian appeared pretty serious about it, as he said that the sport has seen changes all over the decades.

He said:

“You have to try [to implement new ideas]. There are always many excuses not to do it. It is a life principle. Purists will always turn up their noses, but over the years, F1 has changed the way of qualifying dozens of times.”

His suggestions, however, were met with sarcasm on Twitter as many fans felt these ways were not practical enough. Here are some of the most notable ones:

Stefano Domenicali is currently the CEO of the Formula 1 group and has been a part of the sport for a long time. His knowledge of cars and motorsports is partially responsible for Ferrari's latest constructors' championship win back in 2008 when he was the Scuderia's team principal. Before becoming the chief of the F1 group, he was also the CEO of Lamborghini, a well-known Italian car manufacturing company.

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F1 has gained popularity over the last few years

There is no doubt that the sport's fanbase has increased significantly in the past few years. There are many reasons for this, one of them being Netflix's Drive to Survive series, which is completely based on F1 seasons. There have been four seasons so far with another two in the pipeline. Although the ratings of the show have taken a small dip, it is responsible for engaging more people in the sport, especially the North American audience.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen's epic battle in the 2021 season has given birth to a new fanbase, engaging more fans with the sport. Moreover, some of the top drivers in the sport act as brand ambassadors for their sponsors, which adds to the marketing of the sport. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc modeling for Ray Ban in many countries is an example.

With the increasing number of Grands Prix in the United States, the US audience's engagement is only bound to rise. The Miami GP this year, followed by the Las Vegas GP next year, means that there will be three races in the US itself, including COTA.

Stefano Domenicali, however, still believes that the sport could have more engagement by adding new rules such as a reverse grid. He said:

“We are putting a lot of things on the table [such as the reverse grid]. Many say no, but we have seen on some occasions the beauty of having reshuffles in the race, more overtaking. We have an obligation to try.”

Many fans are seemingly happy with the current F1 rulebook, and though the sport gets more viewers every season, it could be an interesting turn for the sport if these suggestions are taken into account.