'Keep calm,' says Domenicali on criticism of new F1 rules

'Keep calm,' says Domenicali on criticism of new F1 rules By Andrew Benson F1 Correspondent in Bahrain Published 3 hours ago Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali has called for calm in the face of criticism from drivers of the sport's new rules - but said changes would be made if necessary. F1's four active world champions - Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris - have all made disparaging comments about the driving experience of the new cars in one way or another. But Domenicali said in a news conference on Thursday: "We need to avoid overreaction because it's just the beginning of a new journey, so that's why I say we need to stay calm. "And if there is something that is useful and can be implemented straight away, I've seen a very open approach by [governing body] the FIA and also the teams sharing their defined data of course with the others. "It's a new concept where it has to be, of course, improved if needed." Norris admits new F1 cars 'not purest form of racing' Published 12 hours ago 'Just not F1' or 'a lot of fun'? New cars split drivers Published 12 February The biggest rule change in F1 history has seen cars, engines and tyres all subject to change this year, in addition to the introduction of carbon-neutral sustainable fuels. Drivers have targeted the new engines, which require substantial energy management at all times for optimum performance. Verstappen said F1 was now "like Formula E on steroids", while Alonso added "the chef could drive the car" at the speed he was going around some fast corners to harvest energy, and Hamilton claimed the new rules were "ridiculously complex" . Briton Norris, who initially defended the cars last week as "fun", said on Thursday he had made those comments to see the reaction and admitted they were "certainly not the purest form of racing". Domenicali, the president and chief executive officer of commercial rights holder F1, pointed out the new engine rules were conceived as an attempt to attrac...