(Motorsport-Total.com) – The 2026 Formula 1 season does not seem to be off to a good start. Even before the first race has even been run, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso have already heavily criticized the new regulations of the premier class during the test sessions in Bahrain.
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“For me, that’s simply not Formula 1,” said Verstappen, for example, striking a chord with numerous fans of the premier class. Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali, however, is quite relaxed and believes that these issues will quickly fade into the background.
“There are a lot of points that can be discussed. But I am quite sure that all these things, at least that was the case in the past, will disappear and be forgotten,” the 60-year-old announces.
As soon as the new season begins with the first race in Australia, sporting topics will be discussed again, “because that’s where the focus lies,” Domenicali is certain. He recalls that there have always been such discussions in Formula 1.
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“This is nothing new, and I don’t think anything will change in the future when there is another change to the rules,” says Domenicali. Indeed, in the past, there has often been an outcry when Formula 1 rules were changed on a larger scale.
Concrete examples from past decades are the switch from slicks to grooved tires for the 1998 season, the major rule changes for the 2009 season that completely changed the visual appearance of Formula 1 cars, or the switch to the new hybrid engines in 2014.
In all these cases, there was initially great criticism, but today Formula 1 is more popular than ever. Domenicali therefore emphasizes that such situations have always been part of the premier class. Therefore, there is certainly no need to worry about the future of Formula 1.
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