The Formula One roadshow has roared into town and race fans around the world will be focused on the kingdom once again this coming weekend ... and the man at the helm of F1 Stefano Domenicali could not be happier.
The highest class of international motor racing frequently starts the season here but taking into account the timing of Ramadan this year, the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir will host race four on Sunday, with 20 more to follow.
Insiders say the demographics of those attending the sold-out Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2025 will be younger than ever before, part of a global trend boosted by the ‘Netflix factor’. And, the ‘Pitt factor’ is set to boost its popularity into the stratosphere this summer.
F1, the upcoming Formula One racing movie starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, according to sector sources, is going to be a box-office smash in June and Mr Domenicali agrees. “I do believe so,” he told GDN Media in an exclusive interview. “It’s great. I go back to the point that really these are all elements of a strategy to connect with the younger generation.
“It’s getting more and more younger, and it’s getting more and more diverse. And, if you look at the US market, for example, 40 per cent of new fans are women, so that is great.
“Therefore, we are engaging with new fans. Our duty is to continually connect with them and to explain what we are doing.
“What we have been able to do is to open up a ‘behind-the-scenes’ element.”
He has a point, on simple viewing you see the cars whizzing around a circuit and you might catch a glimpse of a driver’s helmet and gloves. “You don’t see the faces inside, you just watch the eyes,” he further emphasised. “And, what we have been able to do is really just unveil the real story of the people in the sport.”
Watched by millions since it launched in 2019, Drive to Survive is widely considered to be a piece of high quality television, produced by skilled documentary makers. But it is more than just good telly. As a marketing tool for Formula One, it has been priceless.
The show is credited with creating a surge in the sport’s audience and crucially, driven down the average age of Formula One TV viewers from 44 to 32.
F1, ironically, was one of the few beneficiaries of the global pandemic. “I think that for sure, Netflix has done part of a job, definitely, because it was also the moment when, due to Covid-19, people had more time to spend watching TV,” said Mr Domenicali. “That was helpful for sure, the strategy to try to be more connected to the younger generation paid off to the fact that, of course, we have opened up on social media and the strategy continues with the launch of the movie this year.
“I saw the movie as being, for me, a fantastic opportunity. It’s the first example of something that we have been able to do thanks to the collaboration of the teams, the federation (F1 is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) and everyone involved in the context of a live sport. While the live sport aspect remains untouched, we have all these other things happening that you will see, you know, when we launch the movie in the middle of June.”
It’s music to the ears of the man who will remain at the helm of Formula One until at least the end of 2029 after being handed a five-year contract extension by the sport’s commercial rights holders Liberty Media.
The announcement was made by Formula One ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
The 59-year-old Italian, a former Ferrari team principal and Lamborghini CEO, has been chief executive since he took over from American Chase Carey in 2021.
Formula One said it had seen ‘incredible growth and increased interest and demand for its races around the world’.
“Stefano has been an excellent steward of the business, building on its successful foundation and accelerating Formula One’s rate of growth both commercially and in fan engagement,” said Liberty Media chief executive Derek Chang.
As well as fans of the sport, many young people are looking at F1 for career opportunities. And could another woman driver emerge on the grid under this man’s watch?
Maybe, as there is probably a better chance now than ever with an F1 academy attracting the leading young females.
“We do believe that we have set the conditions for women to be able to compete, with no barriers, and have the chance to grow and to be able to one day be in Formula 1.
“We always said that it’s something that will not happen overnight but definitely now the foundation is there.
“We are attracting girls into motorsport, they start with karting and grow. And then, of course, the aim is to make sure that there are more in the future. I call it an activator of interest, an activator of talent, an activator of quantity on which we can discover the future F1 drivers.
“But I would also say that the driver is only one side of it, because we are activating an interest in the engineering side, the managerial side and the mechanical side. So that’s really where we are strong and we do believe that this platform is helping the interest of a diverse community to the Formula 1 world.”
That engagement is likely to increase with the F1 movie’s soundtrack release. The film’s original trailer is set to Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’ and loud engine-revving that ‘will surely shake every damn movie theatre’, reported American men’s magazine Esquire. The latest teaser features a new version of Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’.
“That will be in the same sort of situation like it was with the Top Gun movie,” said Mr Domenicali. “It’s a soundtrack that will be very, very strong.
“So we want to, as I said, be at the centre of the attention in a context that before, a couple of years ago, would not have been possible.
“You have to listen, it will be very, very cool. There are different rhythms, different tempos, everyone will be connected.”
It’s all about connections, and F1 is making a big play at opening up its horizons and, at the same time, not forgetting its roots.
A Formula 1 grand prix on the African continent has been constantly touted and speculation was rife that South Africa might be added to an already congested 2023 calendar. The plans were shelved last year and Rwanda has since emerged as the African country most likely to host a grand prix.
“We always said that Africa is the only continent that is missing at the end of the day,” said Mr Domenicali. “We are in talks with some of the promoters and there is the need to make sure that the ecosystem is ready to sustain a Grand Prix, not for one year only, but for the longer term.
“That’s the reason why it’s taking a long time, because we need to make sure that in a prudent approach, everything will be done with the right balance, with the right partners, and with the right vision to attract fans that can come every year.
“We will never be there just to touchdown and go. If we are going to be there, it’s because we are going to be there for a long time.”
It’s a balancing act too regarding loyalty to historic venues and attracting new race and fan-friendly locations, the race schedule and health and well-being of the drivers and their support teams.
“Well, the balance is what we need to find,” said Mr Domenicali, “today we have a lot of requests coming from all around the world. But it’s also important to respect the DNA and where the sport belongs.
“But the good news is that all this interest is giving a boost to the ones that are historical as there is the need to always invest for the fans now and investing for the crowds that are coming. So this kind of situation means everyone has to invest for the best of the sport.”
Fortunately, Bahrain continues to lead the way when it comes to investing in its BIC facilities and proving that ‘The Desert Never Sleeps’ with acclaimed solar power and other sustainable developments and a long-term contract to prove the point.
Mr Domenicali has witnessed it from the start. “I’m so happy because, as you know, my personal relationship with the Crown Prince, with all of the Bahrain Royal Family, is just magic.
“They were the first – thanks to the vision of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to invest in Formula 1, and I was there at the start in 2004. So it means a lot to us to go back to a place that is really special.”
And there’s the McLaren factor too. Owned by Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat, last year’s constructors champions are leading the pack this year with driver Lando Norris also topping the drivers ranking, with his teammate Oscar Piastri in third place in the build up to the Sakhir showdown fighting to take the individual crown off world champion Max Verstappen currently in second place.
“I’m so proud of the grand prix and for the investment that Bahrain has made with McLaren,” said Mr Domenicali. “And, I think that this is a team that is young, energetic and is bringing a smile at the top of the competitive level that we have now.
“These two young, talented drivers are showing what Formula 1 can produce, a guarantee of great success in the future.”
managingeditor@gdnmedia.bh
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