Former F1 supremo, Bernie Ecclestone admits that he is not a fan of the expanded calendar or Sprint events.
The 95-year-old was attending the Austrian Grand Prix where he was part of the podium ceremony, presenting the winners medal to George Russell, giving the Mercedes driver an affectionate pat on the cheeks in the process.
Handing over the reins to Liberty Media in 2017, Ecclestone admits that the sport has flourished but nonetheless has reservations about the ‘Americanisation’ of the sport.
“They made things a little bit more American, which is basically what they wanted to do,” he said. “Otherwise, they’re doing all the things that look good, which is also important and, from that point of view, it’s positive.”
However, he is no fan of the calendar, that now features 24 races, or of the Sprint format.
“Both things are wrong,” he said. “24 races is wrong for everyone, including the public. You lose a lot of people who miss a race and say ‘Oh, we’re going to see one very shortly in another couple of weeks or something’.”
As for the Sprints…
“I’ve no idea what that’s all about,” he said.
Ever the wheeler-dealer, Ecclestone admits that it is the business side of the sport, a business which he ran from the 70s and turned into a global phenomenon, that he misses most.
“Just thinking about it, I miss part of it,” he said. “I miss putting things together on the financial side.
“Did I ever stop to the end of a race? No,” he admitted, “whether that’s good or bad, I don’t know. I’ve done my job.”
The Briton always admitted that the demographic the sport was targeted at was that which lived – or sought to live – a high-end, luxury lifestyle, of expensive watches, yachts and super cars, as opposed to teenagers wanting to buy caps and T-shirts.
Ironically, under the sport’s new management, with the full compliance of the teams, barely a race weekend passes without another ‘limited edition’ T-shirt or cap, as all involved seek to further line their coffers.