> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.the-race.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Nobody wins from trying to divide F1's fanbase - URL: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/nobody-wins-from-trying-to-divide-f1s-fanbase/ - Published: 2026-08-30T07:04:47.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-30T07:04:47.000Z - Description: If "the vast majority of people" really do just want to see action on track, then F1 can do more to make that happen - Author: Glenn Freeman - Tags: Formula 1, Business, #primary_homepage_feature "There are diehard motorsport fans who talk about clipping during a Formula 1 weekend, but there will also be many who think of a clip as something you put in your hair." For F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, that's an amusing evolution from his "super clips and super chips" line he gave The Race's Edd Straw and Jon Noble in an [exclusive podcast interview earlier this year](https://shows.acast.com/6819ae2bf30c20bff775e8a1/69e9dbcd1e1e8123642877eb?ref=the-race.com). Domenicali has had to fight back against a lot of criticism this year and, as you'd expect from someone in charge of a global institution that is flying high but also under huge pressure to succeed, he'll defend F1 with all he's got. As he should. But I think it's a risk to regularly paint the "diehard fans" as a minority group who are too negative, prompting Domenicali's recent quotes given to media that featured the suggestion that "negativity gets us nowhere". I'd agree that after a while, endlessly moaning about F1's engine rules gets a bit old and we all have to live with it. Although, let's not forget, the controversial not-quite-50/50 power split between electrical power and the internal combustion engine is changing for next year to help solve the issues fans and drivers are unhappy with. However, when things are going well - and in F1's case, they are on several levels at the moment - don't forget the people who got you to the dance. Don't forget that those "diehard fans" are people who stuck by F1 through thick and thin, and were the backbone of a fanbase that was big enough to make Liberty Media think F1 was worth buying in the first place in 2016. If the F1 bubble pops one day, or even just deflates a bit, it will need those diehards to stick around. If you alienate them while all the charts are pointing 'up and to the right', you run the risk of not having them as a safety net in future. --- Glenn spoke about this topic passionately on the latest episode of **The Race F1 Podcast** \- you can listen [here](https://embed.acast.com/$/6819ae2bf30c20bff775e8a1/hamiltons-apology-monaco-appeal-latest-and-domenicalis-lates??ref=the-race.com), or search for it on your podcast platform of choice ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dd/af/ddafbd99-2ccd-468c-b622-4b3cccf80b49/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-30-at-08.02.15.jpeg) --- None of this is meant to denigrate the vast wave of newer fans F1 has attracted in recent years. I think it would be unfair to suggest that anyone who has discovered F1 in the Liberty/Drive to Survive era is automatically a lightweight fan who isn't interested in anything beyond the surface level. [No matter what George Lucas says](https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f1-logic-for-no-battery-graphics-is-absurd/#:~:text=Star%20Wars%20creator%5D-,George%20Lucas,-on%20Saturday.%20He). F1's growth should be great for everyone involved, both on the inside and the outside. As someone who remembers being one of only two F1 fans in my entire secondary school at the turn of the century, it's amazing to be on the school run with my own kids today and see how many F1 caps and backpacks there are around. This sport we live and breathe is truly mainstream now and appealing to the next generation, and I love that. That's why I'm uncomfortable with the notion that new fans and old fans, or new fans and "diehard fans", are two groups that can be divided into ones who are interested in technical details and bring negativity about the current cars, and ones who just want to see action on track. As someone once told me, 'people don't remain new fans forever'. Eventually many of the ones who stick around want to immerse themselves in what's going on and understand more about it. That doesn't mean they'll all want to know about super clipping one day - I've been an F1 fan since the late-1980s and I'd quite happily never hear about it again! I wince whenever I see older fans trying to 'gatekeep' F1, but I also don't think it's helpful to declare that people who want to know all the finer details of what's really going on with these highly complex cars are "a niche", as Domenicali recently suggested. Also, if "the vast majority of people" just want to see action on track, why not do more to make that happen? F1 is expected to have more sprint races in 2027, and as our social media team cheekily noted at Zandvoort, that weekend's sprint was so dull it ['could have been an email'](https://www.instagram.com/p/DcV0XOHsSMf/?ref=the-race.com). If the main focus is for the on-track action to get people out of their seats cheering lots of overtakes, why is F1 so cautious with its sprint format? Why is it just a stint of a grand prix that runs a day early? I'm all for protecting the sanctity of the grand prix itself. But let's mix the sprints up. Use one shot qualifying to differentiate from the main event and increase the chances of cars qualifying out of position. Or, dare I say it, reverse the grids, even if it's just the top 10. Arguing over super clips, super chips and hair clips is playground stuff. Let's find something proper to argue about, and see if we can create even more of that all-important action on track while we're at it.