04/03/2016
NEWS STORY
Over the years, Bernie Ecclestone - a man never reluctant in sharing his opinion - has had more than his fair share of Gerald Ratner moments.
Only a week or so ago he said the sport was the worst it has ever been and that he wouldn't pay to take his family to watch it.
A long term critic of the new formula - even when it was in the embryonic stage - Ecclestone's view has rarely faltered, especially when nothing looked likely to derail the Mercedes juggernaut.
Now however, realising that the constant sniping might damage the cash cow, Todt has called on Ecclestone to cease the criticism... at least publicly.
"Can you imagine someone going to see a new movie if the director said 'My film is shit'?" he told Auto Bild. "If you want to sell a product, criticism must be internal, not external. We have to represent a positive image of Formula One again."
However, it is not just the new formula that Ecclestone has criticised, the Briton recently suggesting that the FIA should appoint someone to govern the sport directly, clearly feeling that Todt has become invisible as he travels the globe on other FIA business.
"The FIA has two pillars," argued the Frenchman, "motorsport and mobility. One of my priorities is traffic safety. Each year 1.3 million people die on the road... 500 children every day.
"Formula One is a luxury problem," he added. "It would be entirely out of place if the president of the FIA was concerned about the details of F1. But I do have good support people."
Meanwhile, drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were sharing their thoughts on the current state of the sport, and it wasn't too dissimilar to Ecclestone's.
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