Why Formula 1’s Boss Thinks Races Might Be Too Long (or Too Short… or Just Right)

Picture this: you’ve settled into your sofa with a bacon sandwich and a cup of tea, ready to watch two hours of cars screaming round in circles at 200mph. By lap 23, however, your mate is already scrolling TikTok, your other mate is asleep, and your nan has asked — again — whether Lewis Hamilton is the one married to that singer from the Pussycat Dolls.

This, in a nutshell, is the headache facing Stefano Domenicali, Formula 1’s CEO. He’s not calling for shorter races, but he is asking a very modern question: in an era where people can’t even finish a YouTube video without checking WhatsApp, is the classic Grand Prix format still the right fit?

Did He Really Say Races Should Be Shorter?

First, let’s clear up the panic. Domenicali insists he never actually said races should be cut down. “I never said we need to cut the distance of the race,” he clarified, probably while side-eyeing headlines screaming “F1 to Slash Race Lengths!”

What he did say is that attention spans are shrinking faster than a cheap T-shirt in a hot wash. Which, let’s face it, is true. Most people can’t even commit to a Netflix series anymore — unless it involves murders, posh people, or both.

So Domenicali’s point is simple: Formula 1 needs to ask itself if the current race format — 305km for most circuits, a cheeky 260km for Monaco — still works in 2025. That could mean shorter races. Or longer ones. Or, knowing F1, an even more confusing sprint-shootout-mini-qualifying-thing held on a Tuesday afternoon.

Why Is F1 Even Talking About This?

The problem isn’t that the hardcore fans are bored — they’ll happily watch every practice lap, every data graph, and even Ted Kravitz’s Notebook. No, the issue is the “casual viewer.”

And casual viewers, according to F1’s own surveys, don’t care about tyre wear or undercut strategies. They just want action. Fights for position. Cars overtaking. Drama. Basically, the Netflix edit but live.

That’s why highlights reels do so well online. A ten-minute YouTube clip with all the crashes and overtakes is far easier to digest than watching 90 minutes of “drivers preserving tyres” — which, let’s be honest, is about as exciting as watching someone try to make a lasagne without pasta sheets.

Free Practice: For Hardcore Nerds Only

Another of Domenicali’s barbs was aimed at practice sessions. He admitted they’re only really of interest to the diehards — the ones who know the exact downforce settings of a Haas and can recite every winner since Fangio.

For everyone else, practice is like watching a band tune their guitars for an hour. Necessary, yes. Entertaining? Not unless you’re the bloke playing the guitar.

And this is where Domenicali’s challenge lies: how do you keep the sport authentic and technically rich, while also catering to the bloke on the sofa who just wants “cars fighting each other” every five minutes?

The Goldfish Problem

This all boils down to a goldfish problem. Attention spans are collapsing. Once upon a time, audiences could sit through entire five-day cricket matches without blinking. Now, The Hundred exists because apparently even 20 overs is too much faff.

F1 doesn’t want to become cricket — endlessly inventing new formats until nobody understands the rules anymore. But Domenicali is right to at least ask the question. Better that than stubbornly sticking with tradition until only the diehards remain, muttering about 1982 while the rest of the world watches Fortnite streams.

So, What’s Next?

Don’t panic — Monaco isn’t suddenly going to be run over three laps and a kebab stop. Race lengths are staying the same for now. But F1 is openly considering tweaks. That could mean more sprint races, restructured weekends, or ways to pack more drama into the existing format.

Because in 2025, sport isn’t just competing against other sport. It’s competing against TikTok, Call of Duty, and the fact that your phone pings every 12 seconds. If you can’t hold attention, you lose the audience.

Final Lap

So no, Stefano Domenicali isn’t cutting races. But he is asking the awkward question every traditionalist hates: what if the thing we’ve always done isn’t quite right anymore?

For now, F1 fans can relax — the 305km grind is safe. But if attention spans keep shrinking, don’t be surprised if one day Formula 1 really does go full TikTok: 10-second highlights, Lewis Hamilton doing dances, and Max Verstappen pointing at text bubbles about DRS.

And honestly? That might just be the day I switch off too.