18/01/2005
NEWS STORY
Former BAR boss David Richards, is fearful for the future of F1, as the Grand Prix World Championship (GPWC) gathers momentum.
"The car manufacturers are not the best custodians of motor racing," he told Donald McRae of The Guardian. "They're there for their own short-term interests.
"A split would be disastrous," he continued. "Look what happened to boxing with all their world titles. It would be terribly sad if the same thing happened in F1.
"Bernie has done the most extraordinary job over the last 30 years," he added. "Nobody else could have emulated that. But Bernie cannot go on forever, even he has to face up to that fact. The important thing is that the sport is handed over in good order before it gets into desperate straits."
It is suggested that he, Richards, might be just the man to run F1, once Bernie decides to move on. "It would be a poisoned chalice to follow Bernie," he replies.
"Anyone who thinks they can duplicate Bernie is deluded. Three or four people might be needed to do what Bernie's does on his own. But we are going to have to be careful because when a sport goes through this sort of radical transition it's very difficult."