27/06/2016
NEWS STORY
In a move that will surely result in similar angry fallout and division as witnessed following Britain's decision to withdraw from the European Union, Bernie Ecclestone has revealed that he is looking to scrap F1's controversial bonus payments to teams.
For last season, Ferrari, which finished runner-up to Mercedes, is due to receive the biggest slice of the $965m prize pot.
The figure comprises $87m from the main prize pot plus an additional $35m courtesy of a Constructors' Championship bonus, which is paid to just four teams - not Williams - following separately agreed deals, together with a further $70m as a 'historic bonus', meaning the Maranello outfit will receive $192m in total.
Indeed, figures made public by Autosport earlier this year revealed that Mercedes, which won both titles and all but three races in 2015, is to receive $171m in total, comprising $97m from the main pot, a $39m Constructors' Championship bonus and a further $35m thought to be a bonus agreed should the German manufacturer win back-to-back titles.
Even McLaren, which had its worst season in living memory, is to pocket $82m, receiving $50m from the main pot and a further $32m as a Constructors' Championship bonus, whilst Red Bull, which finished fourth will receive $171m in total, courtesy of $70m from the pot, $39m Constructors' Championship bonus and a further $35m bonus.
Williams, which finished third for the second successive season, and has contested three times as many Grands Prix as both Red Bull and Mercedes, will receive $87m in total, which comprises a $10m bonus on top of its basic $77m.
Ferrari's share is up 17% on 2014, whilst Mercedes enjoys a 36% increase. On the other hand, overall, Red Bull's share is down 7%, along with Williams (6%) and McLaren (16%).
The remaining money is divided between Force India ($67m), Renault ($64m), Toro Rosso ($57m) Sauber ($54m) and Manor ($47m).
Far from happy with the way the prize fund is divided, Force India and Sauber have lodged a complaint with the EU Competition Commission.
Though no changes can be made until 2020, when the current commercial deal comes to an end, and by which time a number of teams could have gone under, Ecclestone has revealed that he has already warned Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.
"I told Toto not to think about banking any money yet," he told The Times. "I am going to have a good look at how things work to see if I can come up with something more equal for all the teams."
"The Premier League has a good way of distributing the prize money," he added, "so maybe that could work for us. There will be people who will like it and people who won't like it, and people who will suffer."
Under the Premier League's system, all twenty teams receive an equal share of the revenue from TV coverage as well as prize money.