The man who attempted to lead F1 into "calmer waters has warned that the sport will have to 'crash and burn' before it is saved," according to Kevin Eason of the LONDON TIMES. Former McLaren CEO and Formula One Teams' Association Chair Martin Whitmarsh was a "voice of reason in a turbulent paddock." More than two years ago, he "warned of the looming financial crisis that came to pass." Sacked by McLaren, the 57-year-old is now steering Ben Ainslie's America’s Cup bid as CEO of the "ambitious sailing venture." Whitmarsh said, "I love Formula 1 and I love McLaren. I was there 25 years. I am saddened by it. The sport will crash and burn before it gets turned around, in my view. It will do eventually but I am sad to see it go through the process it is going through." Whitmarsh has kept his counsel since his reported £6M payoff from McLaren but his analysis is much the same as when he "attempted in vain to round up the Formula One teams so that they could bargain with CVC Capital Partners, the sport’s controlling shareholder, as a powerful lobby." Whitmarsh: "If you look at the cycle, you had the sport as it was 30 years ago, then the tobacco era, which was the big growth spurt, and the automotive era when we had at one time seven of the nine largest automotive companies. Then, that went away with the economic crisis and it has diversified but in order to diversify it also has to recognize, which it is struggling with, that it has to be doing it at a slightly different level -- and it has also got to be a bit more equitable in terms of distribution. It is an ongoing argument and, unfortunately, at the moment, it has led itself into a very difficult place" (LONDON TIMES, 6/25).
