F1® chief Domenicali: Ferrari competitiveness an 'extraordinary' sign
Wednesday, 23 March 2022
It is ultimately good for the sport.
Formula 1® chief executive Stefano Domenicali is buoyed by Ferrari's resurgence, saying it is ultimately good for the sport.
Charles Leclerc's win in the 2022 season opener in Bahrain on Sunday was Ferrari's first since 2019, and the last time Ferrari claimed a win from pole position in the season opener was with Kimi Raikkonen in 2007, who went on to win that year's driver's championship.
Along with passing on his congratulations to the team, Domenicali - a former team principal with Ferrari - believes it will invigorate interest in the sport.
"Next week there will be another race, then there is Melbourne and then Imola," he told Sky Sport. "I am convinced that we will find the [stands at the] Tosa and Rivazza corners as full as in the good old days.
"The satisfaction for the new regulations lay in seeing a beautiful, intense and interesting race for everyone.
"Then seeing Ferrari so competitive is an extraordinary sign. I say this with caution, but I am very happy. I was certainly pleased for Mattia [Binotto, the current team principal], for the drivers and for everyone who works there."
Ferrari's return to the top step on the podium has come with changes to Formula 1® regulations, which Domenicali and managing director Ross Brawn were tasked with implementing.
The 56-year-old believes technical regulations have allowed for unprecedented variety in design and engineering, which will positively impact the championship.
"The new F1 brings the technological challenge back to the centre. Last year I remember how many people said F1 would flatten out and talked about the cars all the same," he said.
"I have been in F1 since 1991 and there has never been such a great diversity between the cars, from a technical and technological point of view. This will also affect the competitiveness of the championship. There will be faster cars on some tracks and some faster cars on others."
Cheers to many more days like this 👊❤️#essereFerrari 🔴 @EG00 pic.twitter.com/XMSHhlCsF2
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) March 20, 2022
