F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone "can be forgetful when he wants to be," according to Jonathan McEvoy for the London DAILY MAIL. Sometimes he plays up to his age -- 85 -- but whenever he chooses to be "he is as sharp as a pin." After a playful, "What are you up to?" he sat down on one of the racing car-style chairs around an uncluttered table, and launched into a monologue. "I think I can say that I'm a bit of an exception in Formula One today -- I have a vested interest," he said. "I want to do what is best for Formula One. I don't need the job. I don't need the money. Most of the participants are only thinking about what's good for them in the short term. Long term for most of those people is two or three races. The result is that Formula One is the worst it has ever been. I wouldn't spend my money to take my family to watch a race. No way. What's the point when you pretty much know -- and the bookmakers know, and they're not stupid -- that Lewis Hamilton will probably put the car on pole and more likely than not win the race, and the other Mercedes will be on the podium?" The root of the problem, he said, "lies in the decision-making process that he introduced three years ago, by which Mercedes and Ferrari hold what amounts to a veto on any new regulations."
Between them they supply engines to eight of the 11 teams, which "are naturally reluctant to vote against their suppliers' wishes." Ecclestone: "This sort of thing is what is commonly known as a cartel. And cartels are illegal. We are running something that is illegal. On top of all that it is anti-competitive." But what can he do to rectify a predicament that still "has three years to run?" Ecclestone: "I have something in mind." What might that be?
He added, "I don't get mad, I get even. I've had to take people out and show them a few graves. There's still room there."
One serious, "and urgent," plan is to redefine the role of former Ferrari Team Principal and current FIA President Jean Todt. Ecclestone: "Jean, unfortunately, has become a diplomat. He wants everyone to be happy. It's a nice way for a president to think but it doesn't work like that. You can't make everyone happy." He added, "He should carry on with the other stuff, but hand over responsibility for Formula One to someone else. I am going to speak to him about it" (DAILY MAIL, 2/22).
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| Zak Brown |
MORE OPTIMISM NEEDED: Group CEO of CSM Sport & Entertainment Zak Brown told SBD Global that much of what Ecclestone had to say was accurate. However, he would prefer it if Ecclestone would use a different manner to deliver his message. "They are not great comments," Brown said. "I think people are accustomed to Bernie’s various comments in the media and it does get everyone’s attention and sometimes can drive some change, which is a good thing. Are they framed up in the most productive way at times? No. I might pick my words a little bit differently but I think his actual general message isn’t far off." Brown acknowledges that F1 faces some short-term challenges, but he does not believe they will threaten the racing series' long-term health. Brown: "There just needs to be more optimism in the fact that it will get fixed" (HJ Mai, SBD Global).
