Racing
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Formula 1 is deliberately keeping battery state-of-charge off its 2026 race broadcasts because CEO Stefano Domenicali believes most viewers care more about seeing overtakes than understanding the energy-management detail behind them.
The issue has become a flashpoint under the new rules, with critics arguing that many passes can look artificial when they are driven largely by differences in electrical energy between cars. Even so, that battery context is generally not shown during on-track duels, and Domenicali made clear that is not an oversight.
“I think that the truth is exactly the other way around, because no one is interested in how you drive your car,” Domenicali said when asked whether showing battery information would help fans follow the racing better. “The people are interested if you're overtaking or not. That's the vast majority of the people.”
He said the data does exist and remains relevant for a narrower group of viewers, but argued that putting it in front of the global TV audience would complicate the product rather than improve it. In his view, most fans want to see what is happening on track, not supporting metrics such as throttle angle or brake-pressure percentage.
Domenicali said a conversation in Hungary with George Lucas reinforced that approach. He said the filmmaker gave him “an incredible view on how the new fans are watching Formula 1” and helped underline the need to simplify the presentation because newer viewers are “fascinated by the fact that there is a lot of action” rather than the technical detail behind it.
That argument forms part of a broader defense of the 2026 rules and the way F1 is presenting them. Domenicali said debate around the technical side has come mainly from drivers and people inside the sport’s ecosystem, but insisted the bigger picture remains positive because fans are responding to the racing itself.
He described the championship as “very, very fascinating” and said “there is a lot of action on the track.” To back that up, he pointed to F1’s commercial and audience growth, citing 3.7 million attendance through the summer break, up six percent year-on-year, with attendance records at six Grands Prix. For Domenicali, those numbers support F1’s view that emphasizing the action over the battery mechanics is the right direction for the sport’s broadcasts.