22/02/2016
NEWS STORY
Bernie Ecclestone says he wouldn't pay to watch F1 as it is, placing the blame squarely on Mercedes and Ferrari.
"Most of the participants are only thinking about what's good for them in the short term," he told the Daily Mail ahead of the start of pre-season testing. "
Long term for most of those people is two or three races," he continued. "The result is that Formula One is the worst it has ever been.
“I wouldn't spend my money to take my family to watch a race,” he claims. “No way."
Whereas he previously had to deal with the self-interest of the teams, he now places the blame for the sport's malady on the engine constructors, namely Mercedes and Ferrari.
"This sort of thing is what is commonly known as a cartel," he says, "and cartels are illegal. We are running something that is illegal. On top of all that it is anti-competitive."
Funny that, because Sauber and Force India agree and have gone to the European Commission calling for an investigation.
"The Commission may get involved but we are big boys and we should be able to sort it out ourselves," says Ecclestone.
Part of the problem is that previously he had extra muscle when it came to keeping the teams, and engine manufacturers, in line. Muscle in the form of Max Mosley. However, the Briton's successor has proved a huge disappointment, certainly in terms of keeping the teams and manufacturers on their toes.
"Jean, unfortunately, has become a diplomat," says Ecclestone. "He wants everyone to be happy. It's a nice way for a president to think but it doesn't work like that. You can't make everyone happy. He is doing a very good job for road safety. He makes a big effort. He travels the world meeting people. But his interest in Formula One is purely a result of being president of the FIA and the fact that he is expected to be there for Formula One. He doesn't look to do anything that might destabilise what he really wants to do in the UN.
"He should carry on with the other stuff, but hand over responsibility for Formula One to someone else," adds Ecclestone. "I am going to speak to him about it."
Asked who might take such a job, Ecclestone replies: "No idea. That's up to the FIA."
Yeh, right.
While he claims he doesn't know who should be helping him oversee the sport, Ecclestone still has very strong views on what is needed to kick some new life into it.
"We need more competitive racing," he says. "I would keep qualifying as it is. The guy who is quickest would still have his number of poles recorded for history. But then he could start, say, tenth based on his pole and where he stands in the championship. We are looking at exactly how we could do it.
"The guy who is third fastest in qualifying would start, say seventh or eighth. That is better than totally reversed grids because all you get with them is the man at the back getting past the slower guys at the start of the race. This way makes it competitive between guys of similar speed. It won't be easy to get past people.
"The big thing is that it would create debate," he insists. "I would say, 'I think the pole man will win for this reason or that'. You say, 'No, I think so-and-so will win because...' That's what we need. I don't know if we can get it through in time. We'll see."
By 'in time', he is referring to the start of this season, and with the controversial Strategy Group meeting in Geneva tomorrow, one can bet the Briton will be pushing hard to get his way.