Stefano Domenicali has shared his excitement about the future for F1, with the sport’s President and CEO anticipating a thrilling 2025 season that will feature a “different situation” at every race.
Off the back of being confirmed to remain in his position as Formula 1’s President and CEO through 2029, the Italian spoke in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle in Melbourne of what the path ahead might hold.
“It’s a journey that is very fascinating,” Domenicali said. “I have the duty to make sure that there is a synthesis and taking the sport in the direction that we believe is right, to make sure that our fans keep loving us and with the same love that we share with them.”
Looking at the immediate future, Domenicali voiced his excitement about the 2025 campaign, one which features 24 races, several rookies and a number of driver changes across the grid – a combination that he expects will deliver something special.
Domenicali is expecting several drivers and teams to be in the fight during the 2025 season
“I’m very excited because I have the feeling there will be more drivers, more teams that will fight,” he explained. “Five new drivers into the field, with the enthusiasm [and] new energy they are bringing into the paddock, and on the track there will be… I would say something spectacular. I think that we’re going to see [in] every race a different situation.”
Another key change for this season has been the arrival of Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, a blockbuster move that shocked the F1 world when it was announced back in February 2024.
“For sure for Lewis it’s a new journey, a new journey that will give him a lot of boost, a lot of energy,” Domenicali commented. “I think that the adjustment that he has to do, not only on the driving side with the car but also in terms of integrating himself in a different community, will be easy.
“When you have inside the right fire to make sure that this experience will be positive, you’re going to dedicate yourself night and day, and that’s what he’s doing. He told me that he’s sleeping in Maranello, he told me he has seen what Ferrari means for the people of Italy.”
In terms of whether Hamilton can taste victory in his first campaign for the Scuderia, Domenicali responded: “I think so. I think it will be great, I have to say, with my independent cap! I think it will be good for the team, good for Charles [Leclerc] to keep pushing himself and it will be good for the entire field of F1 teams.”
The F1 75 Live event proved to be a spectacular evening
Looking more widely at the future for the sport – with some calendar developments seeing Madrid host the Spanish Grand Prix from 2026, while Zandvoort will hold its final Dutch Grand Prix – Domenicali stated: “The good thing that we were able to do in the last couple of years has been to focus on the places that we believe represent the future for Formula 1.
“In terms of promoters and tracks that we are already at, we have a long-term standing agreement with a lot of them that enables them to invest, to improve the facility, to improve the quality of the entertainment that we need to give to our fans. We receive a lot of attention from other places in the world.”
And on whether there could be another event like F1 75 Live – the unprecedented season launch held at London’s The O2 that proved to be a huge hit – Domenicali said that this will be decided in the near future.
“I think that has been a great success. Showing the platform, also to convince the more sceptical ones, that F1 has to think big,” he commented.
“If it’s happening every year is something we need to discuss. For sure, there is a lot of interest from different promoters from different places in the world, that would like to, let’s say, consider it as a 25th Grand Prix to launch the season.
«We’re going to make the decision very, very soon.»
RACE TICKETS – CHINA
Don’t miss your chance to experience the thrills of Shanghai and the first F1 Sprint of the season…