Fernando Alonso Rejects F1 Race Length Changes, Citing 'Problem with Society'

Fernando Alonso has strongly pushed back against F1 President Stefano Domenicali's suggestion that Grand Prix races are too long for young audiences, asserting that the issue lies with society's attention span rather than the sport itself.

Why it matters:

Domenicali recently voiced concerns that F1 races, which typically run between 80-120 minutes, might struggle to maintain the engagement of younger fans due to perceived shorter attention spans. This demographic has become increasingly vital for F1's global growth, significantly boosted by the popularity of Netflix's 'Drive to Survive' series.

The proposed changes:

Domenicali has openly discussed various format alterations to address these concerns, including:

• Increasing the number of sprint races.
• Potentially introducing reverse grid races.
• Shortening the overall duration of Grand Prix events.

What Alonso said:

Speaking to media at Monza, the two-time world champion dismissed the necessity of such changes, drawing a comparison to another popular sport.

"Football matches are going to be long," Alonso stated. "When I sit in front of the TV I'm not watching the [full] 90 minutes concentrated; I go to the kitchen and go back. There is always some moments of distraction. And no one is talking about having 60-minute football matches or something."

The bigger picture:

Alonso concluded that if there is indeed a problem with shorter attention spans among young people, "it's a problem with society on the kids, but not the sport. So change is probably not needed." While acknowledging Domenicali's expertise, he firmly believes the sport's format is not the underlying issue.