Domenicali thinks Red Bull owes F1 dominance to itself: 'They did better'

For some Formula 1 fans, Red Bull Racing's current strong form may be a little too much, but according to Stefano Domenicali, this does not act as a deterrent for fans. Especially for new viewers, a team's dominance is not as relevant as some people think, according to the F1 boss.

Formula 1 has always seen periods when a team is dominant, with the Ferrari era with Michael Schumacher, the Red Bull era with Sebastian Vettel and Mercedes' dominant years being the most recent examples. Currently, it is Red Bull Racing that is unbeatable, but according to Domenicali, it is too early to speak of a dominant era at this point.

Domenicali thinks dominance Red Bull is not a deterrent

"First of all: if a team is faster than the others, congratulations! They did a better job than the others," said the 57-year-old Imola-based man at a meeting for Liberty Media investors. However, he expects rival teams to get even closer during the season than they are now. "I'm very confident that with the budget cap, the situation will evolve in the best way for the better competition."

At the same time, Domenicali sees that Red Bull's supreme form does not deter new F1 fans. "In the new markets, where the new audience is coming in, that is not a really important factor," he says. "It's more, let's say, for the avid fans that if you see a car that is dominant, that's creating a level of less interest. For the new markets, for the new fans that are coming to the business, this is not really very important."

He continues: "For sure we see in the first three races Red Bull was very, very competitive. I'm expecting the others to catch up." At this, the F1 boss refers to the win tunnel penalty currently in force. "We need to wait and see the effect of the penalty that they had last year with the wind tunnel reduction. The championship is very long, and I think we're going to have good surprises before the end," Domenicali said.