Bernie Ecclestone has proposed giving manufacturers greater financial freedom in return for making a long-term commitment to Formula 1.

The emphasis in recent months has been on reducing F1 teams’ exorbitant outlays – a drive instigated by the governing FIA but, following Honda’s demise and the global slump in car sales, now enthusiastically supported by the manufacturers themselves, who framed many of the recently adopted cost-cutting rules.

But behind this broad agreement there have been tensions with the FIA about both the necessary scale of cost reduction and the most appropriate measures, with the manufacturers only seeing off the threat of standard engines by promising to supply drive trains cheaply to independent teams.

Having spent the past week resisting mounting pressure from the teams to give them a greater share of F1’s lucrative commercial revenues, Ecclestone is now keen to strike a new bargain with the sport’s high-spending manufacturers.

“If the manufacturers are prepared to make a long-term commitment, say seven to 10 years, we should let them spend what they want to spend, providing they supply engines and gearboxes at an affordable price,” Ecclestone told the Daily Telegraph.

Ecclestone says securing such a commitment from the manufacturers would lock them into the sport and prevent further sudden withdrawals.

“It would prevent the kind of thing we have seen with Honda because we could sue the arse off them if they left,” he said.

“They wouldn’t like that.”

But he admits his chances of persuading the manufacturers to make a cast-iron commitment are questionable.

“Whether they will commit to that I don’t know,” he said.

“Getting them to agree on anything has always been the problem.”

Ecclestone was recently quoted as saying that the FIA should not be writing F1’s rules since they help generate the sport’s commercial income, and a 2001 European Commission ruling bars the governing body from exerting any influence over commercial matters.

Instead he suggested the teams should devise the rules and the FIA should merely enforce them.

Now, however, Ecclestone appears to have changed tack and doubts that the teams will be able to sustain the unusual degree of unity they have displayed in recent months through their FOTA organisation.

“There are two ways of running this sport,” he said.

“You either let the teams shape the rules, which they can’t because they can never agree on anything, or let the FIA write the regulations and let’s get on with it.

“The FIA could simply say this is the entry form – if you want to join in, these are the rules, sign here.

“The FIA would then police the championship.

“Ideally the teams would get themselves organised. Maybe they will this time.”

While giving no indication that he is willing to concede ground over the distribution of F1’s revenues, Ecclestone admitted his suggestion that the teams should receive less money than they do now was intended to raise their hackles.

“I was only being mischievous, really, playing their teams at their own game,” he said.

Ecclestone also aligned himself with those manufacturers – notably Ferrari, Renault and Toyota – who have heavily criticised the FIA’s decision to introduce expensive KERS energy storage devices at a time of financial overstretch.

“I have always been against KERS,” he said.

“Whatever they use in F1 they won’t use in a road car, but if that is the idea, then why not develop it in touring cars?

“It costs a lot of money when we are trying to save it.”

F1’s 78-year-old impresario added that the cool response to his proposed medal system “pisses me off”, and remains convinced that there should be a greater incentive to win races rather than drive for points.

“Forget medals. It is about a system that rewards winning, makes it worth a driver’s while to win and not settle for second place,” he said.

“Why would you risk going into a wall for two lousy points?

“You might if there was more to gain.

“They say cars don’t overtake any more. That is down to the drivers. They don’t always have to win to become a champion.

“Crazy.”

source[www.itv-f1.com]

 

Despite Bernie's old age, he really acts like a teenager. Making comments about how he was being mischievous and playing games with the teams is simply unprofessional. He is also very inconsistent and flip flops quite often about his position on many things. He'll step up and say he is for KERS since it will push the sport into the future and then turn around and say he has always been against it as soon as he hears his favorite team, Ferrari, is against it. This is simply unacceptable behavior for the president of the biggest racing league in the world.

 

his first points regarding a new manufacturer agreement (providing more autonomy for the manufacturers for their long term commitment to the sport) is spot on and should be the basis for the upcoming concorde agreement. you can't bog everyone down with regulations that change year after year, let them police their own budgets as long as privateer's are provided a chance to purchase their engines and gearboxes or even chassis. the competition within the teams would bring prices down for the privateer's, the teams would have full control over their budgets, and we would see an ideal climate to moving forward as a sport. it just makes sense really.

 

+1. Well said.