Massive overhaul in regulations, a chaotic 2021 season, and the drama of Netflix’s Drive to Survive. These three factors gave Formula 1 a tremendous viewership boost as fans poured in to see the dominance of Max Verstappen and Red Bull. A dominance placed so high in the order that the die-hard fans fear it becoming a Mercedes-like run of the 2010s.

Recalling the run from Lewis Hamilton & Co., longtime fans don’t want Max Verstappen replicating those times as they fear that would again make the sport less interesting to watch. This impact is also raising speculation that it might hinder the ongoing momentum of Formula 1’s expansion into new markets.

However, F1’s CEO holds a different view of the situation. Stefano Domenicali, who has been making headlines lately for some quite interesting statements, appears unbothered by Red Bull and Max Verstappen’s dominance as the business continues to bring in revenue.

When asked about Red Bull’s prowess in the ongoing season, Domenicali expressed his peculiar view. As quoted by Turkish Motorsport, he said, “It can be said that a dominant vehicle for enthusiastic fans reduces interest. For new markets, this is not important for the audience who just got into this business. It’s important to us because we want to make sure there is great competition in the ecosystem.”

“But when I look today, I can say that this factor is not as important as you think in the markets where we grew up. It is very interesting to say this in a way, but that’s the truth.”

What Happened to Max Verstappen at the 2021 Azerbaijan GP in Baku?

The statement becomes interesting when we see the numbers from the past. As per a report on Statista, in 2017, at the peak of Mercedes’s dominance, F1’s viewership stood at 352 million. It took a dip of 40 million compared to its previous years. And this number itself is almost 100 million less than the number from 2013.

Clearly, in the long run, the numbers from the past must be studied. As the new audience remains fragile, holding their interest for longer periods of time is a daunting task.

Max Verstappen at crossroads with F1 and Lewis Hamilton

Max Verstappen’s recent retirement statements came after the proposed changes to Sprint Weekend came to light. The changes include the removal of FP2 and FP3 to make room for separate qualifying sessions for the sprint race and the main race.

While F1 and FIA have paid no heed so far, Lewis Hamilton backed the authorities for more productive weekends. As quoted by Dutch Motorsport, the Briton said, “The time during the weekend can be better organized. With three days of action, there is a lot of time between sessions. And if you look at [the races in] the Middle East, for example, we don’t get to the track until 3 p.m. There’s a lot of free time.”

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