[ad_1]
Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali has dismissed the idea that the sport has been adversely affected by the controversial end of the 2021 season.
With Max Verstappen and Sir Lewis Hamilton in the final round of the standings, the Dutchman will start the race on pole.
However, Hamilton took the lead from the start, and despite the intervention of Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez, it looked as though the seven-time champion was on the verge of an eighth title as he clinched his 24-year career. The race has been in the lead – the old one.
But the safety car was only brought in after the crash by Nicolas Latifi, with race director Michael Massey initially ruling that no lap of the car would be allowed to pass due to time constraints.
read: Lewis Hamilton reveals how Starbucks chairwoman and Star Wars director prevented him from retiring
The Australians changed their minds on the penultimate lap and only allowed five of them to take back their lap, causing confusion and controversy.
Verstappen made the most of his advantage and passed Hamilton on the final lap for the victory and his maiden title, but the fans were furious.
Some say they will never watch races again; former driver Stefan Johansson revealed that he has been told by prominent motorsport figures that they have no interest in this year’s tuning.
But the numbers suggest that once the storm passed and fans calmed down, many of them accepted the fact that 2021 is over. Now is the time to look ahead to this year.
Global TV ratings rose 4.9% last year, while attendance at both the British and Australian Grand Prix was at record highs.
So for Domenicali, the sport’s image hasn’t been tarnished, which he credits to the actions taken by the FIA ​​since December.
Masi was removed and replaced by a combination of Eduardo Freitas and Niels Wittich, implementing a virtual control room to aid them, and the return of Herbie Blash as a second-in-command.
“In terms of image, it’s like having a football World Cup [final] Racefans.net quoted Domenicali as saying that a referee made a mistake and there was a penalty that didn’t exist, but it was there.
“So I don’t think it’s going to damage the reputation, damage the solidity of the championship, because that’s what can happen.
“Honestly, what I see is the fact that the FIA ​​takes this seriously and they want to change it and improve the system.
“But at the end of the day, the performance of everyone involved in F1 is about his personal ability or his personal skills or his personal right decisions or his personal mistakes, and that will always be in every sport.”
The Italian also denied any suggestion that the match was rigged for Verstappen’s benefit.
“I can do it because otherwise I wouldn’t be in this position and I would never think someone did something deliberately against someone,” Domenicali affirmed.
“It’s something I can’t accept because if I had a little doubt about it, I wouldn’t be here.
“You can make mistakes, yes, 100 per cent, you can say mistakes, teams or drivers, everyone can do it, but I don’t want to judge maybe it’s because personal perceptions of what has happened have damaged F1’s reputation. “
Attendance and ratings have not been affected, as well as the fact that more big numbers are expected at upcoming races, suggesting to Domenicali that F1 has only grown since the bizarre race eight months ago.
“If you look [at] What’s our follow-up this year, it’s huge,” he said.
“So if the situation is so negative, I won’t see the number of people playing or following around the world.
“From Belgium to the end, all the grands prix are sold out, so a lot of people have already booked their tickets to come.
“So Belgium will be over 120,000 a day; Zandvoort, you can imagine, the same; Monza sold over 250,000 tickets; Singapore is sold out, it’s really a reserve.
“So, I really hope we can have a great game and a second part of the season.”
Verstappen has eight wins in 2022 and has an 80-point lead over Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ championship at round 14 at Spa this weekend, but the former Ferrari boss remains optimistic He believes that this year’s battle can come to an end.
“From a business standpoint, I’d like to see another season where you’ll arrive on the last lap of the last race — maybe with less of that confrontation point — because that’s going to be great, it’s going to be great,” Dome Nikali added.
read: Lewis Hamilton retires after being ‘cheated’ by Michael Massey
“80 points, a lot, but in F1, also from my previous experience, you have to say ‘never say never’.”
Domenicali cited his first season at the helm of Ferrari in 2007, when Kimi Raikkonen made a comeback to beat Hamilton in the final round in Brazil to claim the title.
“Remember in 2007, with two games left, we were 17 points behind and Kimi was able to win the title in Brazil, which no one expected,” he said.
“I know it’s a big number, but I don’t see why Ferrari should [not get] Back in the fight with Red Bull again.
“Red Bull is a very strong team and Mercedes will grow. But really the only thing I can say – because I can’t comment on my position, as you understand – they shouldn’t give up at the last minute .
“Because we’ll have a lot of surprises, I’m sure, in the second half of the season, in every way. So bugs, reliability, weather, who knows?”
Red Bull has a 97-point lead over Ferrari in the two-team battle, with Mercedes another 30 points behind.
[ad_2]
Source link