Ross Brawn said that "he would be happy to work alongside" Formula 1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone if he was offered a job running the sport, according to Andrew Benson of the BBC. The former Mercedes F1 boss "denies having a formal job with new owners Liberty Media but admits he is interested in the possibility." The 61-year-old has had a "fractious relationship with Ecclestone, 86." Brawn said that he expected Liberty Media, which is in the process of finalizing a $4B deal to take a controlling stake in the commercial arm of F1, "to take its time before deciding how the sport's management should change." He said, "When the day comes that Bernie eventually stops there won't be another Bernie. It will be a different structure and with Liberty Media getting involved there is speculation about how things will evolve." He added, "I don't want to go back to being in charge of a team. That doesn't really motivate me. But what could motivate me is contributing some way to the future of F1 and how it can progress and meet the challenges it is facing today and that could be any number of roles. But Bernie is the ring master and he is the one who is going to decide how things play out in the next few years." Brawn said that parting with Ecclestone, who has run the sport for 40 years, would be a "brave move" from Liberty (BBC, 11/3).
