Domenicali defends 2026 F1 racing: "People don't understand clipping"

Domenicali backs the racing spectacle

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali believes fans are largely unable to distinguish between genuine on-track racing and position changes created by differences in energy deployment.

Domenicali, who has previously rejected criticism of F1’s 2026 racing, acknowledged that the sport must make changes to its deeply unpopular engine regulations. Nevertheless, he said the wider reaction from fans had been strongly positive.

He argued that most spectators do not follow the technical detail behind terms such as “clipping” or the precise division of energy deployment. “They don’t understand our technology,” he said, adding that the effect on the track had been “widely super-positive” among fans.

Drivers remain critical of the new formula

The positive assessment from F1’s commercial leadership contrasts sharply with the views expressed by several drivers after recent races. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri called the current power units “a crap way of going racing”, while Hungarian Grand Prix winner Lando Norris said F1 had damaged its regulations in an effort to attract new engine manufacturers such as Audi.

Max Verstappen said he “started laughing” during his first experience of driving Spa-Francorchamps under the 2026 rules in Red Bull’s simulator. Fernando Alonso went further, saying the current F1 cars have less energy than Formula 2 machines over a lap of Spa.

The disagreement comes as teams and manufacturers continue to assess the implications of the latest F1 power-unit developments.

Domenicali said he had asked drivers to make “constructive” comments, while denying any attempt to censor them. “I prefer to discuss things in that respect in four walls to find solutions,” he said.

Regulation changes already under way

Despite repeatedly defending the regulations, F1 has moved quickly to introduce revisions, with some changes arriving after the fifth round. The championship intends to abandon the “50-50” split between combustion and electrical energy, a defining feature heavily promoted before the new engines arrived. From 2028, the planned balance will move to 60-40.

That shift underlines the tension at the heart of the 2026 formula: the racing may be producing more visible action, but the method behind some of those overtakes remains a major concern for the drivers expected to manage it.