– Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali is satisfied with the 2026 summer break. While many observers still believed at the beginning of the year that Mercedes would march to the world championship title, the situation at the top of the premier class has been significantly more balanced for several weeks.
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While the Silver Arrows had a clear lead at the start of the season and were able to win the first six races all in a row, the pursuers then made a leap forward. Of the last five wins, “only” two went to Mercedes, two to Ferrari, and one to McLaren.
With Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli, and Lando Norris, there were five different winners in the five races before the summer break. Formula 1 boss Domenicali assumes that this pattern will continue in the second half of the season.
“If you look at […] how the development has evolved since the first race, it is simply phenomenal,” he emphasizes and explains: “This shows how well Formula 1 is able to respond to any kind of technical challenge or opportunity.”
In addition to Ferrari and McLaren, Red Bull also managed to close the significantly larger gap to Mercedes at the beginning of the year somewhat. Although the Bulls have not yet won a race in the 2026 season, Max Verstappen stood on the podium in three of the last four races.
Domenicali: Don’t listen to the pessimists
“I remember very, very well that at the beginning of the year everyone – well, not really everyone, of course I’m exaggerating – said: ‘Oh, the championships are already decided. Mercedes will dominate the season. The game is over.’ But that is not true at all,” Domenicali emphasizes.
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The Italian assumes that “a lot will still happen by the end of the year. There will be more teams fighting for the win,” he predicts and adds: “There will be more drivers who have the chance to take the victory.”
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He announces that Formula 1 will also be “very, very exciting” after the summer break, “and I believe that everyone will stay focused and fully engaged until the end of the championship,” says Domenicali, who is satisfied with the current Formula 1 product.
“There is a lot going on on the racetrack. People are excited. They watch intently what happens on the track,” he emphasizes, after there had been considerable criticism of the new regulations of the premier class especially at the beginning of the year.
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But Domenicali emphasizes that this criticism came rather from a small group and not from the broad masses. They are not interested in too technical details, says the Formula 1 boss, which is why the general feedback this year has been “extremely positive.”
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