Well done Hamilton, but now F1 must change to avoid dying. The ball passes to Domenicali

Well, well done, but never again. Seven - soon eight on these screens - years of boring and unchallenged domination are more than enough, having emptied F1 of meaning.

If you look closely, very little changes between a weekend in which there is F1 and one in which there is not, it is only a Sunday without dozing off in front of Hamilton's monologue, the fake competitiveness of the gregarious Bottas, the desolation of the talent of Verstappen, debased in no man's land, or faced with battles for backup positions that only make those who talk about F1 scream, but which objectively are of very little interest. Unless you get really excited about battles between Norris, Perez and Ricciardo for fifth place.

Ferrari is not even worth mentioning, it has eliminated itself from the context by effectively taking a sabbatical of total failure and there is no certainty of a return to acceptable levels in the near future, given that the team brings developments to the track, but the car in the race is a shrimp. But the discussion goes beyond Italian parochialism and passion for the Red and concerns more generally the competitiveness of the top category.

After eight years it should now be clear to everyone that the turbo-hybrid regulation has put one team in a position of absolute advantage over all the others and that that same team has exploited a de facto superior know-how to open a gap that can no longer be filled by the rivals. The hybrid F1 turbo, with a half-electric heart, this small and compact engine that is sometimes impossible to understand even for the FIA ​​(but not for Mercedes), is a tailor-made suit for those who have linked their commitment in the Circus to this technology, moving light years ahead of a competition that was first tamed and then destroyed.

A competition that in total indolence was unable to impose itself and rebel, short-sighted in the face of the overbearing pace of those who frozen F1 ensuring years and years of victories. As often happens, however, the limit is now full. It is no coincidence that the main topics of discussion are in order: the comparisons between Hamilton and Schumacher, Vettel in Aston Martin, the return of Alonso; or past or future because what happens on the track in the present can only be boring.

A giant bubble of chatter that bursts as soon as the traffic lights go out and F1 is sucked into boredom. You can create a drivers' market, there can be many teams with ambitious projects that create colour, many beautiful battles on the track for fifth position, but the situation does not change: in the long run a sport where the name of the winner is already known cannot attract the public.

It is no coincidence that the governance of F1 has chosen a man of racing and experience like Stefano Domenicali to revive the situation, perhaps putting an end to this Mercedes monopoly that has made Hamilton a legend and heartfelt congratulations to him as the GOAT candidate of motor racing, but which for the rest just frankly broke the balls and the entire toy at the same time.

Dr. Stefano Domenicali - even before the 2022 rules which are the classic decoy, rules then designed by Ross Brawn, completely anonymous, useless and disappointing in the role of the technical director of Liberty Media - you yourself begin to think about changes truly decisive: private tests, simplification of power units (even hybrid ones) in order to attract manufacturers and not make them run away, free development and aerodynamics in terms of times, methods and concepts.

The new CEO of the Circus has an almost impossible task: to free the top category from the grip of stringent and suffocating regulations that have made Mercedes the dominator and annihilator of the competition as such. A truly arduous task, that of restoring a dimension of sporting authenticity to F1. Best wishes, in the meantime we are preparing for Hamilton's ride in Portimao. “Wow” someone would say, not me.

Antonino Rendina

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