25/02/2018
NEWS STORY
Bernie Ecclestone 'fears' Sergio Marchionne could follow through on his threat and take Ferrari out of F1 for breakaway series.
In fact, that line is somewhat misleading, for in many ways the thought of Ferrari quitting the sport and heading off to a rival series would have Bernie as eager and enthusiastic as Harvey Weinstein ahead of an audition.
Having spent years trying to hold F1 together, with the Maranello outfit usually at the core of whatever issue threatened the sport, few doubt the former supremo would find it hard to conceal his delight should it fall apart under its new ownership.
In the wake of Sergio Marchionne's threat to take Ferrari out of F1 and head to a breakaway series in a row that is superficially about the (2021) engine rules but actually more about Liberty's plans for a radical overhaul of the prize money allocation, Ecclestone warns that the company's president isn't bluffing.
"Some people have a new series in mind," he said. "Sergio has spoken to people about it. If he decided to leave, he would leave. If the FIA don’t do what he thinks is right, and what would benefit Ferrari, he would go.
"No promoter would be happy to see Ferrari leave," he continued. "They would join Ferrari immediately if a new series started with the same elements as now but was cheaper for the racetracks.
"The bottom line is simple," he insists, "Formula One is Ferrari and Ferrari is Formula One. Go anywhere in the world and they don’t think about Ferrari road cars; it is Formula One. I would hate to see Formula One without Ferrari."
However, as we state elsewhere, it would never occur to Bernie to start his own series, far less would he have the nous to effectively use the media to send out an invite to other potential entrants and race promoters.