Hints of Queen Gertrude's suggestion that the lady doth protest too much, as F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali insists that the sport will not attempt to halt Red Bull's domination.

While F1 continues to believe that the playing field will eventually be levelled, for the time being it has to accept that Max Verstappen and Red Bull are cruising towards their third successive titles, with little to suggest that the current domination will not continue into 2024 and 2025.

While some drivers and team bosses have hinted that something needs to be done, F1 bosses will be only too aware that such domination is not good for the sport, especially in the eyes of those fans newly won over.

Nonetheless, Stefano Domenicali insists that there will be no bid to handicap Red Bull by means of a change to the regulations.

Asked whether a mid-season change to the regulations had been considered, the Italian was adamant.

"It is not fair to say that, it is not correct," he tells the Beyond the Grid podcast.

"We cannot be seen as a sport of manipulation," he insists. "As I said, this is not correct, this is not fair. I am not envisioning at all this kind of approach."

Despite there being no clear sign as yet, certainly at the front of the grid, the F1 boss is confident that a 'natural' convergence will come about.

"That's the right approach now," he says, "also because the rules were changed not many years ago, and therefore, this will happen for sure.

"I would say F1 has been always a sport where there have been cycles," he adds, "where teams were very dominant and then some others came into the equation. So, I would say our objectives should be, if you take this strategic approach, to make sure these cycles are shorter in the future."

While we wait to see the effectiveness of the upgrade from Aston Martin, Mercedes appears to be slowly getting its act together, unlike Ferrari, Domenicali's former team.

The gap is between one team and the others," he says. "While the gap is very, very close, one team (Red Bull) has done an incredible job, and this is a job of meritocracy.

"It is true that the gap seems to be big, but we need to be prudent because we know in life things can change very quickly. I'm sure the other teams are watching how they can catch up with their development in the context of the budget cap.

"It will be interesting to see if the development curve of the team that today is leading will slow down because, at the end of the day, they did a better job in the shorter term. So that will be very interesting to see in the next couple of months."

Anyone else not entirely convinced.

Let's see how he feels when the championship is decided long before Las Vegas, which certainly appears to be a matter of when as opposed to if.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Paulinho, 16/06/2023 15:27

"What goes around comes around. "

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2. Posted by Chester, 16/06/2023 11:54

""The lady doth protest too much says it all". Long time fans know what is being discussed behind the scenes.

I do agree with the sentiment that the FIA tacitly allowed Mercedes eight years on top. But Max on top? Oh, no. That is simply not allowed."

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3. Posted by Celtic Tiger, 16/06/2023 11:35

""It is not fair to say that, it is not correct," This man has no shame. Lying so boldly like that when anyone can just take a cursory glance at the sport's history can clearly see it. The old adage of the sport "If you can't beat it, get it banned." was born from a history of FIA meddling at the behest of the teams and other interest groups. Just ask Brabham with their fan car or Williams with their electronic aids.

Heck, Domenicali must have been out sick that day when they overhauled the rules with the express purpose to stop, his own team, Ferrari's dominance in 2005.

The FIA swooped in with new engine formulas to curb Red Bull's three year dominance in 2014. I will also say that, considering their own precedents they've (FIA) set for themselves, they were very lenient with Mercedes dominance giving the team basically a free championship for a couple of seasons before changing the rules to allow teams to develop and try to compete. Not mentioning the helping hands with TDs along the way in Mercedes seven year dominance before finally introducing the rule overhaul that gave us the current cars.

So, for Domenicali to sit there straight faced and suggest that the FIA don't manipulate competition in F1 from time to time is hilarious. "

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4. Posted by Max Noble, 16/06/2023 10:49

"@Spindoctor - priceless. Perfectly stated."

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5. Posted by Spindoctor, 16/06/2023 7:41

"We cannot be seen as a sport of manipulation," he insists.....

Presumably he didn't hear the hoofbeats disappearing into the distance as he surveyed the empty stable.
F1 has always been guilty of 'manipulation'. Mid-season rule-changes, introduction of various technical & 'safety' directives etc. etc.
I don't know what the eggheads at FIA thought would happen when they implemented a more aero-focused formula, then set \about removing in-season testing & reducing track-time at GPs. It seemed inevitable to me & many others that RBR was going to benefit most and that no other team was likely to catch up before the next round of changes in 2026.
"

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6. Posted by rambler, 16/06/2023 4:00

" "I would say our objectives should be, if you take this strategic approach, to make sure these cycles are shorter in the future."

To do that we will have to interfere.

The rules were ignored to give Max his first championship. Red Bull bust the cost cap in developing this car. Yes they were given a slap on the wrist but, the work had already been done and was allowed to be used. Full details of the overspend hidden behind a non disclosure agreement. Yes, they have and they will interfere if they see profits fall."

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7. Posted by Rock Doc, 15/06/2023 22:24

"I think the most important quote here was 'We cannot be seen as a sport of manipulation'. As long as they are not seen doing it then all options are open :)"

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8. Posted by Laz, 15/06/2023 21:59

"Yep, if Mercedes dominates for years and Lewis wins its perfectly fine , but if RedBull/Max win something is wrong with the sport and needs to be changed so Mercedes and Lewis can dominate again."

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F1 will not "manipulate" championship, insists Domenicali

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