Bernie Ecclestone has aimed fire at both F1 owner Liberty Media and the sport's most famous team Ferrari. 2017 was the 87-year-old's first full season without an operational role in the sport, having been ousted by Liberty Media after the American company's takeover.
Liberty is currently consulting with manufacturers about the engine rules for 2021, but Ecclestone said the only way to run the sport is as a dictator. "Democracy has no place in formula one," he said, as veteran F1 correspondent Roger Benoit visited Ecclestone at his coffee plantation in Brazil. "The new owners will soon realise this, because so far they have achieved nothing," Ecclestone told Sonntagsblick newspaper.
He also slammed Ferrari, after the fabled Maranello marque threatened to quit F1 over Liberty's engine and budget cap plans. "That old game," Ecclestone said. "If they don't win, there is usually panic. "Max Mosley and I could write a long list of all the times we helped Ferrari, but they always deny it." (GMM)
Replies (4)
Login to replyBarron
Posts: 625
Bernie’s quite right. The top teams are greedy and care not a fig for the smaller teams, and remember, they voted for this engine formula, not FOM and not the FIA. F1 is in the mess because of the manufacturers, not Bernie..
Barron
Posts: 625
Sorry, meant to add he’s not blameless though. He sat on his hands too long and put F1 into some dumb places. I also agree with him that so far, FOM have achieved absolutely nothing, zero, zilch, di nada.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
I honestly think the issue with the bigger teams policing the sport is down to Ecclestone spoiling them. He says it himself, he used to do tons of favours for Ferrari, now they are that spoiled little kid that tugs daddy Eccie's pants and cry for my candy, and maybe one or two more engine allocations.
Harryw
Posts: 107
If teams are bigger than a sport then that sport is dying. Bernie did that by giving too much power to them