“Did Stefano really say this, with a straight face?”: F1 fans call out Domenicali’s double standards with latest ‘manipulation’ comments

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali firmly denies the plan to change the rules to stop Red Bull from dominating and equalize the grid mid-season. However, many fans immediately pointed towards the 2021 F1 Abu Dhabi GP.

While speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Stefano Domenicali stated how it will not be fair to change the rules to stop Red Bull and how it will look like a manipulation from the sport and the governing body.

He said:

“I think it is not fair to say that," he said. "It's not correct because we cannot be seen as part of manipulation. This is not correct, and this is not fair. I am not [envisioning] at all this kind of approach.”

As soon as this statement went out in public, hundreds of people reacted quite strongly to it and immediately recalled what happened in the 2021 F1 Abu Dhabi GP.

The rules were slightly skewed due to the wording, which eventually gave Max Verstappen enough advantage to overtake Lewis Hamilton and clinch his first world title in 2021.

Some of them sarcastically agreed with Domenicali's comments.

"'Can not be seen as part of manipulation'- Did Stefano really say this, with a straight face???"

"No, the #AbuDhabiScandal is conclusive proof this statement is complete nonsense. That's ignoring all the times they attempted to stop Mercedes domination over the years with mid-season rule changes. Of course, if he wanted to fix Abu Dhabi, the sport might begin to heal."

It is safe to say that the controversial race in 2021 is still etched in the minds of many and was immediately freshened when Domenicali made this comment.

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Fernando Alonso inclined towards reducing F1 cars' size rather than their weight

Fernando Alonso recently shared his opinion about reducing F1 cars' size rather than their weight. He addressed the difficulty of surviving at the start of the race since the cars are too big for some tracks.

Furthermore, he explained how the safety aspect and the hybrid engines will not allow the cars to become light.

He said:

"I don't think it will change the show much. It is more the size of the cars than the weight of the cars which makes things more difficult. Overtaking and fights into the first couple of corners in the race, it is difficult now to position the cars because of the size, not because of the weight."

The Aston Martin driver continued:

"It is going to be difficult to significantly reduce the weight of the cars. The hybrid engines will always be heavier than normal engines, and the safety on these cars is a lot higher as well."

He added:

"I know there is some interest in going in that direction, let's see what they can do. It will always be welcome, it is always fun to drive light cars. But it is more the size of them which makes racing a little more difficult."

Nonetheless, the Spaniard welcomed the attention paid by F1 and the FIA to the cars' heft and size. Some changes to the size and weight could be introduced in 2026.