Fans Push NASCAR Playbook for F1 as Official Hints at Radical Changes

Formula 1 has undergone some radical changes with Stefano Domenicali at the helm. The calendar has been extended, and sprint racing was introduced in 2021. But now, it looks like the F1 CEO is potentially exploring the possibility of reducing the length of races to cater to the shorter attention span of the “young people.” While the existing fanbase remains divided at the adjustments being made to the format of these races, it looks like the majority of stakeholders, including the drivers themselves, are in favor.

But for a motorsports discipline widely considered to be the epitome of open-wheel racing globally, could following NASCAR’s footsteps be a good solution? Many fans on social media don’t think so, and they didn’t hesitate and make their voices heard amidst speculation of the changes.

Formula 1’s proposed changes may come to haunt the sport

NASCAR has seen some pretty big changes in the sport over the years. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the stock car racing series saw a significant decrease in practice sessions, with drivers just having 25 minutes to acclimatize to the tracks. The format to decide grid positions was changed as well, with single-round qualifying at every track except for superspeedways, with short tracks having a different structure compared to road courses. The sport also made significant changes to the calendar, adding more variations such as road courses and street tracks.

And it looks like Formula 1 may be making some drastic changes as well. Opening up about the length of races, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said after the Dutch Grand Prix, “We believe it’s a bit too long for young people. We’re seeing on many of our channels that highlights are very popular.” He also spoke in favor of sprint weekends, revealing, “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. I’m being a bit provocative, but free practice appeals to super-specialists; people who want to see more action prefer a sprint weekend.”

The changes are being suggested to not just appeal to television audiences, but to ensure race promoters can offer packages that will encourage fans to purchase tickets for the whole weekend. As things stand, non-sprint weekends have two one-hour F1 practice sessions, and many in the sport feel that the lack of drama makes it unappealing to fans. According to Domenicali, even drivers are on board with increasing sprint weekends, as he said, “For the drivers, initially eighteen were against the sprint and two in favour – today it’s the opposite. We discussed it at the dinner we organised in Austria, and everyone spoke in favour.”

However, if NASCAR is anything to go by, reducing the practice sessions hasn’t exactly paid off for the stock car racing series. Dwindling TV viewership and ticket sales are painting a bleak picture for the stock car racing series, as many older fans reminisce about the good ol’ days when they could watch drivers on the track during practice sessions ahead of a high-stakes race. Now, there is an increased reliance on simulators, taking away the opportunity for fans to watch their favorite drivers in action at an affordable price. As for reducing the length of races, it looks like plenty of fans are downright infuriated by the decision, if their reactions on social media are anything to go by.

Fans puzzled by Domenicali’s controversial opinions

As expected, motorsports fans struggled to come to terms with the idea that the current Formula 1 races are “too long” for the younger fans. Puzzled by Stefano Domenicali’s opinion, one fan wrote, “Huh? It’s an hour and a half. If you can’t sit for an hour and a half to watch a sport then maybe sports aren’t for you? Considering most other sports are 2.5hrs plus?” Another social media user compared F1 to NASCAR and claimed that the race quality is turning off younger fans, rather than the length. The X user wrote, “It’s the boring on-track action we see at so many races that put younger fans off. NASCAR races are what? 3-4 hours long? Plenty of young fans watch that.”

Domenicali claimed that the increased viewership from race highlights prompted him to decide on reducing the race length, but a fan countered that claim with some simple logic, going on to say, “Highlights are widely available on regular channels and youtube, the actual races are massively paywalled. Maybe start there.” For some older Formula 1 fans, the idea of reducing the race length to appease ‘younger fans’ is nothing short of sacrilegious. On that note, one fan expressed his strong views on the situation by saying, “The race length is perfect. Young people are pathetic if they feel the races are too long. And the F1 should never adapt to this sick TikTok generation.”

Lastly, an X user rejected Domenicali’s proposal of making changes to Formula 1’s format, citing the prestige and heritage attached to the sport. The fan wrote, “No! This is the pinnacle of motor sport, and endurance is part of that.” What are your thoughts on reducing the race length, increasing the number of sprints, and shaking up the longstanding structure of the sport? Let us know in the comments!