Ex-Formula 1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone has warned of complications with TV broadcasters as the new Formula One Group increase the amount of free content available on social media channels.
The Briton, who’s 40-year reign at the top of F1 came to an end in January, hasn’t been afraid to direct criticism towards the new leadership that replaced him.
Now, Ecclestone, who oversaw a shift in coverage from free-to-air channels to pay-TV networks such as Sky in the last decade or so and has been against embracing social media, has spoken out again.
“A lot of the TV stations are unsettled and annoyed,” he claimed. “Yes. We have contracts with these stations which are very exclusive but right now it looks like you can get F1 without paying anything.”
Liberty Media, the company that bought F1 last year, has also quickly worked to revolutionise the sport, whether it be the fan experience at circuits or behind the scenes.
“Maybe I should have changed more things,” Ecclestone commented, “as the Americans seem to now be about changing everything.”
“For me, it was always clear: I wanted to run Formula One Management so that it makes a profit for the shareholders. In the end, the shares were so high that this was the reason it was purchased by the Liberty group.”
The 84-year-old remains a part of the board in the position of chairman emeritus but admits he now does very little in the day-to-day running of the sport.
“Well, he doesn’t need me,” he said, referring to Carey. “He says he knows what he is doing and he has surrounded himself with people who also claim to know what they are doing.”
Ecclestone seemed to question that final point, however, and was particularly critical of Ross Brawn, who became the managing director of motorsport earlier this year.
“Ross never had an insight into our business,” he claimed, “he worked as an engineer with Flavio Briatore at Benetton. Then he went to Ferrari, and I don’t want to talk about how he later ran his team.
“But he does not have the big picture of politics and commercial processes,” Ecclestone insisted.
Ecclestone concluded by crediting himself for the what was described as the better racing in F1 in 2017, claiming he was behind these ideas a while ago.
“Right, but that had nothing to do with the new leadership,” he said. “Two years ago I decided to go for a new regulation. With wider tyres and wider cars. This has changed the situation for the better.”