With the start of the new season just weeks away, Bernie Ecclestone has been doing what he does best, stirring the, er, pot.

While his daughters continue to raise the ire of Daily Mail readers - never entirely difficult - the 81-year-old has been making his own headlines.

Talking to reporters in London, Ecclestone has said that he doesn't want to see Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull dominate the 2012 championship as it did in 2011.

Indeed, to spice things up, the Englishman suggests that the Austrian team should employ Michael Schumacher, ironically, the man who dominated the sport to an almost tedious level in the early 2000s.

Not having an Italian driver on the grid doesn't worry Ecclestone, who insists that all Italy cares about - other than its financial crisis - is that Ferrari is winning. However, moments later he admits that the Maranello outfit could be in for another difficult season. "They know what the problem is and it's not difficult to fix," he said. "I think you're going to find that they are going to fix it quite shortly."

Finally, and this is the one the British media has fallen for hook line and sinker, Ecclestone claims that Lewis Hamilton will be leaving McLaren this year. "I spoke to him the other day. I think he's a bit more focused," he said.

"I think if he doesn't perform this year he'll be looking maybe to move on and the team may be also looking for him to move on," he added.

Asked about the inaugural race in Austin, Ecclestone said the organisers are "cracking away", finding time to play down a recent attack in Bahrain, in which a man lost a couple of fingers, and even joking that he'll give the event a miss.

The media had its stories, Ecclestone had his headlines and column inches, and with that, poof he was gone, much like Keyser Soze.

Come to think of it....