Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali has said a conversation with Star Wars creator George Lucas proved to him that most fans don't care about how complicated the sport's new cars are.
F1's new engines have had a brutal debut in 2026 -- they feature a 50-50 split between traditional combustion power and electrical battery components, which has placed an unprecedented focus on energy management and deployment during races.
The sport's biggest drivers have been critical -- Max Verstappen has called them "anti-racing" and likened them to Mario Kart, while Fernando Alonso has rechristened F1 the "battery world championship."
A lot of the vital engine information -- such as available battery power -- has been sparse on the F1's official broadcast feeds, leading to critics to suggest the sport is trying to hide just how extreme battery management has become at certain venues.
When asked why vital information has been lacking from F1's broadcasts in recent events, especially when it could explain to the fanbase the new science behind drivers overtaking one another, Domenicali suggested most fans have no interest in the technical details.
"No one is interested in how you drive your car, or if you are thinking [in the cockpit] or not," he said. "That's the vast majority of people. Certain people are focused on this thing, [and think] that it is very important.
"I had an incredible and interesting discussion with George Lucas in Hungary and he was giving me an incredible view on how the new fans are watching Formula 1. He gave us an incredible chance to see how we can really simplify things because the new fans are not understanding the truth and what is behind the scenes. They are fascinated on the fact there is a lot of action.
"So I think there is definitely the need for the ones who are so focused to have the right information. But for the vast majority of people, trust me, they just want to see what is happening on the track, [they are] not interested on the angle of throttle or the passages of brake pressure and how you can overtake a driver."
The criticism of the new cars has continued from the beginning of the year through to the August summer break, the hiatus between races in Hungary and the Netherlands.
At the Belgian Grand Prix three weeks ago, Verstappen joked someone might "shoot" him if he kept complaining about the new cars, but he said last week in Hungary he dismissed the idea he has been warned to rein in his criticisms.
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Domenicali has said he does not mind drivers having negative opinions.
"You know me, we are not here to put the tape on the mouth of anyone," he said. "I mean, the beauty of our sport is that everyone can have an opinion, but the opinion is an opinion. There is someone that has the duty to have a line. There are certain drivers that prefer, of course, certain things. I think that in the process we have highlighted the need to be constructive in that respect."
He said his conversations with drivers like Verstappen has been in order to find practical solutions to criticisms.
"I prefer to discuss things [between] four walls to find solutions," he said. "But as I said, I think that the more you are vocal on certain things that are out of the scheme, the more the negativity is not on the sport. It's becoming on the personal side. So, I think that everyone understood that."
F1 has already agreed to tweak the rules for 2027 and 2028 in a bid to quieten the noise around them.
The 50-50 split will move to 58-42 in favour of internal combustion for 2027, before moving to a 60-40 split for 2028.
It is hoped that tipping the balance back towards conventional engine power will help remove the worst of the energy management which has overshadowed F1's season so far.