F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali eyes a return to Turkey… amongst other things.
As the FIA’s single-seater director, Nikolas Tombazis admits that changes may be required following the less than favourable reception of the new formula, Domenicali, having urged us all not to panic, is busy seeking out the next golden goose for his employers.
In a week that Spa-Francorchamps, one of the finest circuits on the calendar, adored by fans and drivers alike, is reduced to biennial status, sharing a slot with Barcelona, the sport is said to be looking at another fan and driver favourite, Istanbul.
“Turkey is not, let’s say, 100% confirmed,” the Italian told the media in Bahrain this week. “Stay tuned on Turkey,” he added.
“This (the return of a ‘proper’ circuit like Istanbul) is also an answer to the people that were saying there were too many street races,” he insisted. “The new ones that are coming are tracks, not street races. These are tracks with heritage, and with a great racing background.”
No doubt the reason Istanbul remains unconfirmed is money, the high hosting fees and long contracts demanded by F1 leading to promoters having to accept hosting their events on a rotational basis.
As for new tracks, it is clearly F1’s philosophy to host events in ‘destination cities’, which allow easy access for those attending, along with all the facilities one would expect, nearby hotels and restaurants. Other than the fact that in the modern era you cannot build a decent race track in the middle of a city, the fact is that the people the sport is seeking to win over have no intention of traipsing through mud to take their seat in an uncovered, rain-hit, wind-blasted grandstand in the middle of nowhere.
Meanwhile, other than increasing the number of Sprints, the sport is looking at ways to make the most – no doubt financially – of all three days that currently comprise a race weekend.
“We are thinking to keep relevant every day that we are on track and, of course, to protect the time needed for the rookies to have the time to run,” said the Italian. “That is either having a longer time for free practice when we do it, or having a session for them to be allowed to get in this ecosystem, because it is clear that on a Sprint weekend, if you are a rookie, you don’t have a lot of time.
“That’s a point that we are addressing, and we will present shortly something real in this respect,” he promised.
Of course, for some years now the restrictions on testing have meant that rookies spend most of their time in the simulator, their public appearances limited to the mandatory outings imposed by the regulations, and even then it is usually at a time of year or track of no real significance to their teams.
Domenicali also revealed that in 2027 the sport is hoping to return to a single pre-season launch event, as was the case last year when London’s O2 Arena hosted F1 75.
“Next year, we will go back to one single test before the season,” said the Italian. “And we are also thinking about, as we did last year a potential global launch, with all the teams together. It was a big effect, a sort of a 25th race in terms of impact of communication around the world. But it’s still work in progress on that.”
Of course, last year’s event was all about the liveries, as were the majority of this year’s individual ‘launches’, indeed so keen were the teams to ‘hide’ their cars that the initial Shakedown was held behind closed doors, and coverage of the opening Bahrain test was minimal
However, a single launch will allow the sport to continue building the hype whilst cementing its obvious desire to crossover into mainstream entertainment such as the worlds of music and movies.
And that, dear friends, is why we only get the liveries and not the cars, because to the powers that be the cars are unimportant, it is the look, the image that truly matters, the very definition of style over substance.
It is said, though historically untrue, that the Emperor Nero fiddled whilst Rome burned. Had he been around, we have a distinct feeling that Stefano Domenicali would have been running a merchandise stall.