When Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley took part in a joint interview in October, the first in living memory, the stage was set.

Whilst Mosley's successor as FIA president, Jean Todt, appears to concentrate on all matters other than F1, the Briton's appearance side-by-side with his former 'partner-in-crime' will have sent shockwaves through the F1 paddock.

Though he has spent the last few years focussing on the cause celebre that is his battle with the media, he has kept a close eye on the sport which, along with Ecclestone, he helped shape.

During that joint interview it was clear that Mosley not only has a certain amount of unfinished business concerning F1, he has spent time considering how the job might best be done.

While his safety crusade was, for the most part, seen through, as any number of drivers will gladly testify, his battle to control costs and balance the never-ending power struggle within the sport are widely seen as failures.

However, he hasn't given up, and since that interview has been an ever present, only too eager to share his thoughts on various aspects of the sport.

Warning that spending must be addressed, the Briton also fears that the manufacturers have too much control in F1, and Ecclestone, clearly emboldened by his colleague's presence, is ramping up for the battle ahead.

Talking to BBC Sport, the F1 supremo lays the blame for the sport's ills at the door of Mercedes and Ferrari, claiming that they will destroy F1.

"We're helping a manufacturer, because it doesn't make a lot of difference to Ferrari with the sort of engines they make. It helps Mercedes,” he said, referring to the plan to bring an independent manufacturer to the F1 table.

"So we are going to destroy Formula One, if you like, because of a manufacturer, who would leave like the others have left when it suits them... BMW, Toyota, they leave when it suits them.

"We're trying to save the sport and these people are trying to save it for their own good," he insisted.

Given a mandate, along with Todt, "to make recommendations and decisions regarding a number of pressing issues in Formula One such as governance, power units and cost reduction", by 31 January, 2016, the heat is on.

"There is all sorts of things we know we can do and should do to make F1 back on the road where it should be, because we are in show business," he said. "We are there to entertain the public. We are not there to put on a show for Mercedes to demonstrate and sell their cars. Or Ferrari."

Referring to Ferrari's power of veto, which the Italian manufacturer successfully used to kill-off plans to cap the amount that customers can be charged for engines - a move labelled by Mosley as "small minded" - Ecclestone questioned the Maranello company's legal right to such power.

Revealing that Ferrari has written to the FIA saying it does not have the right to grant Ecclestone and Todt said mandate, the Italian manufacturer claiming that this contravenes the team's contracts with F1, the Briton warned of a potential legal battle.. a situation that would have Mosely salivating.
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"The only thing we could do is to ignore what Ferrari have said and carry on with it and say: 'You've got a choice, you can leave or go to arbitration and see what the arbitrators think'.

"I think if we went to arbitration, we'd win easy," he added.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by TokyoAussie, 14/12/2015 3:34

"Mercedes and Ferrari no doubt have selfish-ish issues, but so does Bernie (on behalf of CVC). Together they have all managed to take the sport out of the sport."

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2. Posted by mickl, 13/12/2015 22:00

"Said it before, the cheapest way to level the playing field it to go back to manual gearboxes with no rev limiter and no power steering, that'll sort the men from the boys in driving skills.

Also allow ground effects, this could probably leave the cars looking quite the same as now so they can still fit as many sponsorship logos onto the cars. That's one of the main reasons that smaller wings have been dismissed as there would be less advertising space on the car.

If the current format is completely canned and a open formula is used, where free design reigns within a limited set of rules then there should be development points allocated like with the current PU formula but with the leading team receiving a reducing scale of points, bit like having extra ballast put on for winning cars."

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3. Posted by BjornAke, 12/12/2015 22:53

"I would say that the most entertaining racing today is in Moto GP, V8 Supercars and GT racing.
Formula cars have focused to much on aerodynamics and technical helpers to counter the added aerofeatures to even be fun to watch anymore. Also, the differences is to big.

And, the final nail in the coffin is the locked down regulations that prevent innovation and disallows the teams to make any meaningful improvements to their cars from season to season.

Koll of F1 as it is today, and start from the beginning.
There only needs to be a few regulations about safety, maximum HP, and maximum downforce. At least when it comes to the cars, the tracks are another part of the matter. My guess is that the tracks wont be to big an issue if the cars are more raceable.

But to get all this through, we cant keep any of the old people around, this needs creative thinking and younger talents who want to invest in the future."

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4. Posted by testa rossa, 12/12/2015 10:37

"I can't understand that all these "clever " people make and agree rules and later have to change them again and again .
Even the new plans for the 2017 car,.... it seems they are already wrong according to some engineers it will be even harder to overtake with those cars.
How is this possible..... even an ape knows that the show must come from overtaking and not from a few seconds quicker laptime....and yet .."

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5. Posted by Vinicius, 12/12/2015 5:27

"Vast majority of people following F1 are wrong as always. Bernie is right about that ones."

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6. Posted by Jonno, 11/12/2015 20:33

"The vast majority of people connected with and following F1 know exactly what Bernie should be doing - retiring.
"

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7. Posted by Spindoctor, 11/12/2015 16:46

"@Simon
You've got that pretty much right!

Inviting\foisting\dumping the dynamic duo back on the back of Formula One is a bit like asking Nero to rebuild Rome after his little bonfire."

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8. Posted by Simon in Adelaide, 11/12/2015 13:10

"Unfortunately this will just be the usual silly season blustering just to keep F1 in the news. Bernie needs Ferrari's veto to use when it suits him so he is stuck with Ferrari using it when it suits them.

If Bernie is serious about changing F1, and he needs to be if he wants to attract the big investors in a floatation, then he is going to have to change the way the 'game' is played because they will not want to play in a very one-sided game; then there is the question of the EU investigation.

Ed, how about an article examining the tangled web?"

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