Opinion: F1 doesn’t need shorter races, just bring back a one-make support race for the drivers

Stefano Domenicali has been in the news this week after claiming that F1 races are a bit too long for young people, that they’re tired of free practice on a Friday, and that everyone wants more sprint weekends. 

According to the Italian, young people no longer have the patience to sit through an entire Grand Prix. Which is odd, because my children are definitely young, and they can watch a six-hour YouTube video of someone with an incredibly irritating voice playing Minecraft.

Personally, I don’t think F1 races are long enough. Having practice on in the background on a Friday while I work is one of the highlights of my week. It’s like a warm (tyre - sorry) blanket of data and radio messages to appease my inner F1 geek. Meanwhile, the youth apparently want shorter races because they get distracted. Distracted by what? TikToks of people trying to hit golf balls over their house? Ok, I watched that too…

But then again, I’m a grumpy 47-year-old man who’s been watching F1 since he was a teenager, and I remember the days when you could just about manage to see the race, let alone free practice. The digital world changed all that. I couldn’t get enough of it then, and I still can’t. In fact, I’m writing this while FP1 at Monza drones on in the background, bliss.

And yet to me, sprint races are about as thrilling as watching paint dry, and I'm sure plenty of young people agree. Sure, the start can be exciting, but after that everything just… stays the same. There’s no strategy. Nobody has ever said: “well, that sprint race will go down in F1 history.” There’s talk of reverse grids, which sounds mildly amusing and it worked for the British Touring Car Championship for a while, so I’m not against it.

But fear not Stefano, I’ve got a better idea. Bring back a modern version of the one-make support race series and get the big-name drivers involved, like the BMW M1 Procar Championship from 1979 and 1980. Give every driver the same car. Something stupid. Aston Martin Vantages. Porsche 911 GT3s. Maybe even bog standard Toyota Corollas, just for the chaos.

Then we’d finally know: is Max Verstappen actually unbeatable, or would Lance Stroll suddenly emerge as the fastest man on Earth? At which point I’d be applying for my FIA Super Licence. Either way, it would be the most fascinating series in decades - and yes, I’d happily give up watching practice for that.