After 14 races in the 2021 Formula 1 season, youngster Max Verstappen leads the championship standings with 226.5 points, ahead of record world champion Lewis Hamilton (221.5 points). Recently there was a repeated bang between the two superstars in Monza, both drivers were canceled in Italy. F1 boss Stefano Domenicali has now commented on the exciting duel and commented on the calendar for the coming season.
“With the current duel between Hamilton and Verstappen, we see one of the best of all time – and look: old versus young. It couldn’t be better! This season is extraordinary,” enthuses Domenicali in an interview with “Sport Bild”. The duel is “now at the ultimate level”.
However, Domenicali does not fear that the fight will escalate after the much-discussed crash at the Italian Grand Prix. “If you go to the limit, something like that can happen,” the 56-year-old plays down all concerns.
For the German fans of the motorsport premier class, the Italian meanwhile has no good news in the quiver. Domenicali stifled hopes that F1 could return to Germany in 2022. He “regrets that very much”, but has “the feeling that the organizers don’t really dare to hold a Grand Prix”. There will be no race at the Hockenheim or Nürburgring in the coming year.
Around a third of Formula 1 races in 2022 will take place in Europe
However, the F1 boss already has a basic idea for the 2022 season. The kick-off will take place in Bahrain, said Domenicali, who also locates around a third of the races in Europe. The rest will be “distributed over the world”. You have “inquiries from Africa, we’re talking to South Africa, North Africa, plus one or two races in the Far East such as Korea”.
In addition, there should be significantly more sprint races on the calendar. “We are currently rethinking the format, but I can imagine that we will have up to seven sprint races,” said Domenicali. The format debuted in 2021 and will be held three times in total.
You are also thinking about introducing an F1 Grand Slam. “Whoever wins the sprint title and the world championship title is a Grand Slam winner. Formula 1 needs change,” explains the Formula 1 maker.
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