Furious Mercedes execs "plan to confront" F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone to ask him why pictures of Lewis Hamilton winning Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix "were in short supply on television screens," according to Paul Weaver of the London GUARDIAN. The Mercedes team was "utterly dominant, with Hamilton winning for the eighth time this season," with his teammate Nico Rosberg second. But the 90-minute race featured "only an estimated six minutes of their cars in action." Mercedes Non-Exec Chair Niki Lauda said, "I was watching TV all day long, and funny enough I saw Saubers and a lot of Honda cars, but I don't know why. Somebody must do the filming here. I have to ask what's wrong with him. I want to see Bernie next week and ask him what is the reason." Deep down Mercedes is "seething" that one of its "most impressive performances of the season was not represented on TV." Ecclestone is "thought to be unhappy with Mercedes because the team did not provide engines for Red Bull," which is looking for a replacement for Renault power units next year. Mercedes Motorsport Dir Toto Wolff said, "I wasn't sure where we were during the race. I had to look on the timing screens. You couldn't see the cars on track" (GUARDIAN, 9/27). In London, Kevin Eason reported there was a "suspicion of revenge in the Suzuka paddock" Sunday night, because Mercedes has "refused to sell engines to Red Bull." As a result, Red Bull is "threatening to quit the sport" and Ecclestone "cannot afford to lose" the four-time world champions from his global show. Wolff "needed a long pause" before he answered the question as to why his team was "apparently blanked out, with no shots of Mercedes pitstops or the customary head shots in the garage." Wolff said, "It's very difficult to please Bernie all the time." Ecclestone's defense "may be that the best action was down the field" once Hamilton had dispensed with Rosberg "within three corners of the start to romp home" (LONDON TIMES, 9/28).
