"We were too arrogant" - F1 CEO on why the sport took so long to succeed in the US

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali stated that the sport and its leadership were too arrogant when approaching the US market in the past.

Since Liberty Media bought the sport in 2017, F1 has become much more accessible to fans globally, including in the United States.

According to Domenicali, the sport did not approach the US market in the right direction in the past, wanting to continue in their set ways without understanding the changing landscape of the sport. Speaking to Speedcafe, the F1 CEO said:

“The reason why we have always been there but were not a great success was that we were too arrogant to pretend that the American fans would understand who we were without really taking the time to explain with the right language, with the right narratives. We’re going there for the weekend, three days, pretending everyone was really interested in us – a big mistake. So we changed completely the other way approach. Of course, being an American company, we have the privilege of understanding better.”

He also spoke about the controversial pre-race driver introductions in Miami, saying:

“That’s the role that we have to play. Understanding what is the mix, the balance of this mix…The younger generation wants to be the protagonist. That’s why, for example, in the simulator, the fact that our drivers are playing with everyone through our games is an incredible attraction for them to feel ‘we are part of this world’. That’s why social media is crucial for them because they … want to be involved in our work."

“We need to stay focused on understanding that the American fans have a different way of living" - F1 CEO

Stefano Domicali also stated in the interview with Speedcafe that the sport needs to stay focused on the US market given the growth of F1 in the world's largest economy. He said:

“We need to stay focused on understanding that the American fans have a different way of living the events and talking about Formula 1. We have the opportunity, now we are capturing new fans, much younger, more diversified, to get into the details of explaining what Formula 1 is.”

The former Ferrari Team Principal also reassured traditional F1 fans that they are working on improving the racing spectacle, adding:

“[We’re] working on how we can do better racing, explaining the technologies that we are using, and working with them and through the very, very super expert media to give them what they want."