2
Bernie Ecclestone is taking flak amid F1's tumultuous beginning to another world championship season. World champion Sebastian Vettel, a traditional ally of the F1 supremo, questioned the decision to shake up the qualifying format mere days before the circus heads for Australia, agreeing it demonstrates a lack of "leadership".
The Ferrari driver is not alone. Mercedes president Dieter Zetsche hit out at Ecclestone's recent characterisation of F1 as a sport that is not worth spending money on a ticket. "I don't understand how someone who is not only the CEO but partial owner of that product talks that way about this product," he said. "At the Geneva motor show I was not going on the stage to say I would never drive a Mercedes and customers should better not do it," Zetsche added.
There are those who argue that while Ecclestone deserves the credit for building the F1 brand over the past decades, the sport might now need a new era. "I think he has done a fantastic job for the sport since he came in," former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo told Motor Sport Magazine. "But it's not reasonable to ask a man of his age to completely change his mentality. And there needs to be a change in mentality, in many areas," he insisted.
And while 85-year-old Ecclestone often criticises Jean Todt's low-profile and hands-off approach to F1, the FIA president also wonders if the sport needs to turn a corner. When asked about Ecclestone's latest criticisms, Todt told Auto Bild: "My style is to speak directly with him. I like Bernie. He is an extraordinary man. He is 85, and I have just had my 70th birthday, yet he still leads formula one with a great passion. But he also has his own style," the Frenchman added.
Todt said he thinks F1 is still "a great sport, which makes a great contribution to the automotive industry. But we are seeing a new and different movie to before. Soon there will be cars that drive autonomously. Will a 12-year-old still sit for two hours to watch cars race? I think we need to communicate F1 better to the people," he said. (GMM)
Grand Prix of BelgiumLocal time
Grand Prix of BelgiumLocal time
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
M. Verstappen
C. Sainz jr
C. Leclerc
Bahrain
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
Australia
Albert Park
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
Monaco
Monte Carlo
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
Austria
Red Bull Ring
United Kingdom
Silverstone
Hungary
Hungaroring
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
Italy
Monza
Azerbaijan
Baku City Circuit
Singapore
Marina Bay Street Circuit
United States of America
Circuit of the Americas
Mexico
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
Brazil
Interlagos
United States of America
Las Vegas Street Circuit
United Arab Emirates
Yas Marina Circuit
280,551 comments on Aston Martin
59 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Sebastian Vettel
483,035 comments on Ferrari 279 members have this team as their favourite Tweets about Ferrari
Replies (2)
Login to replykhasmir
Posts: 893
The time for change is long overdue...
mclarenfan1968
Posts: 1,027
This old fart needs to die already