Ecclestone forced to step down as CEO

Ross Brawn is on board only for the technical and sporting side, not the commercial side.

 

Honestly, and again you know I respect your opinion greatly, but I just feel the whole argument that Bernie has done some good is nonsense. Sure he has, but he's dishonest and he's done a ton of bad also. Integrity isn't a sometime-thing to me. You either have it or you don't. I feel like it's Stockholm syndrome. Especially this notion that only Bernie could have taken F1 to where it is today. Easy thing to say, and people say it a lot, but how do you really know that for a fact? If you compare what he's done to other major sports, what is really so revolutionary?

The guy is dishonest and shady and came within a hair of going to jail. He says whatever he wants, whenever he wants, to get what he wants. The way Mosley sold the rights to his buddy for 100 years for a little over 300M is absurd. They robbed F1 of its true value. Then he devalues it artificially and makes a side deal to stay on as emperor, sends a guy to jail, pays his way out in Germany, and makes out like a bandit.

Oh but he bought the Lotus team pizza when they were out of money. THEY WERE OUT OF MONEY BECAUSE OF BERNIE'S MANAGEMENT OF F1!!

F1 and Bernie are like the relationship between an abused wife and her spouse. You hear the same kind of arguments IMHO. "Oh I know he broke my jaw, but he's a loving father."

 

It's all the same team now IMO. Brawn and Bratches work for Carey with the unified goal of making the sport as good as possible. But they acknowledge that they can't affect too much change until 2020, unless the teams agree to change before then.

 

I'm just hoping F1 survives until 2020. I think the first five races will tell us. if it's more of the same, somewhat cooler looking cars won't change a thing. I used to be mad as hell if I missed a race. The last couple years... especially last year... it didn't really bother me and I honestly didn't even go back to watch the recording. I read the highlights... hmmm... more of the same. if that continues, even strong fans like us will likely continue their slide in interest and enthusiasm for a sport that has chosen wrong at just about every opportunity to turn things around.

 

I agree with all you write. I lived for a while not far from Bexleyheath where Bernie started. There are many tales about his ways to make business, how he fleeced his business partner, stole ideas, conned customers, unpaid bills, court cases, etc...
My neighbour was the cop who investigated Bernie several times for dodgy dealings, insurance frauds, arson, etc... He was well convinced Bernie was a crook. The way he treated his own family was shocking too, I was told. He employed his elderly father to wash the cars for sale in the forecourt, outside, even in the middle of winter, and quite often humiliated him in front of customers. People were shocked they were father and son!
Bernie conned the other team principals when he took over FOCA, after volunteering first to act as its benevolent secretary!!!

To acquire the Brabham team, Bernie first conned Jack Brabham, and later Ron Tauranac, getting the team for peanuts.

So no, Bernie isn't a nice guy. He found in F1 the perfect tool to make a fortune. The team principals who never received much money before welcomed his scheme, until they realised that he was keeping much of the TV rights for himself and redistributed only a fraction. He made enemies in F1 too. He managed to sell FOM several times whilst resting at the helm .and

 

Yeah it's bad right now.

~Cars are uninteresting, no sound or looks
~Races are boring
~Rules are horrid complicated
~Buzz around the series sounds more like a bunch of old cackling hens complaining about everything
~Seems more like lawyers in a courtroom then a race.

Let them race race cars !!!!

Long Beach is ready for a race also, just call us

 

I used to never miss a practice session. Last year I didn't even bother with qualifying, was pointless to watch the Mercedes cruise to the front row every race with Diffey droning on creating false drama.

Missed a few races because I legitimately forgot to record them. I never wake up and watch anything live anymore. This would have been unfathomable even 5 years ago.

I think 2017 is a "make or break" year for a lot of fans. Even some drivers. Ask Alonso.

 

Nail hit!

Could not agree more.
Pete

 

Trouble is, if control was left to the teams it'd be anarchy. They are totally self-centred, and only the money talks. they wouldn't be able to agree on which hot dog vendors to book for circuits, let alone engine regs, tech changes or anything else. Bernie may not be everyone's cup of tea, but a sport that people like, but don't necessarily want to put their hand in their pocket to support, has grown into something worth millions, an costing millions just to enter. Every team principle seems to have made their money. Sure, teams come and go and go bust, but many people made lots from f1 due to the way he got it going. I suspect in reality, the need for him has diminished once it got to the levels of early 2000's and needed more of a committee running it(as liberty will with a board making decisions), but you can't detract from the sorry state it was in in the 60/70's financially to what it became.

Many many geniuses and financial wizards are on the very edge of psychotic or even criminal minds - look at the great sportsmen who are applauded for their sport, yet derided for other behaviour (Eric cantona in soccer, earl strickland in pool etc). Bernie made the most of an opportunity for himself of course, we are all human, and supposedly capitalist in the west at least, but a lot of others benefitted too

Where many other exciting motor sports attract tiny viewer numbers and barely get tv coverage at all regardless of our, as race fans, interest, F1 stands above all bar NASCAR and Indy for tv and media interest (maybe them too, but I don't have e figures and the US is vast). Le Mans is spoken of on this board a lot, and have many interesting and evocative names attached to the racing, but even free to air broadcasting of it is extremely limited, it doesn't even get a mention for the winners on most U.K. Channels, if Bernie wasn't any good at what he does, F1 would be the same, or Le Mans would be a massive event and have channels and time devoted to it and its supporting series every year, and even Er indoors would be able to tell me who won. As it is, if I ask her, she'd probably think it was a new range of aftershave from Versace or similar!

 

Max was derided by many, but he oversaw some of the best racing F1 ever gave us. Todt hopped on board, and outsourced his decision making to the teams. Look what that got us.

 

Exactly..... the teams should be managing their teams, and leaving the desision making to the regulators and owners. Mercedes and Renault threatened to leave unless they got the current engine regs and we end up with seven years of boredom......

 

JANUARY 25, 2017

Teams welcome experts replacing Ecclestone



Top teams were looking confidently into F1's future this week, following news of Bernie Ecclestone's departure as CEO.

Publicly, almost every influential figure in the sport was on the one hand applauding the 86-year-old Briton's contribution to F1 whilst welcoming the new Liberty Media era.

"Bernie made a global show out of nothing, made many people rich including us, but we are also aware of the problem areas," Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko told Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper.

Now, everyone is wondering what will happen next. New managing director Ross Brawn spoke about keeping endangered races, and possibly getting rid of 'artificial' DRS overtaking.

"Is that (DRS) really what the fans want to see?" Brawn wondered.

"They want entertainment, they want to see close racing, they want to be able to understand what's going on," he added.

Also on the table are budget caps, the end to Ferrari's $100 million bonus, and up to 25 races per year, but Marko said: "Technically, everything is contractually regulated until 2020.

"But I think there is a lot that can be done in the short term. The sport must be more open. This year is only the beginning," he added.

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff told Germany's DPA news agency that this week's announcements marked "The end of one era and the beginning of a new one".

And he welcomed the arrival of new F1 chiefs Carey, Brawn and Sean Bratches.

"They are experts in their fields," said Wolff. "Ross knows formula one exactly, Sean knows everything about the commercial side, so this is all good news for us.

"Chase is responsible for formula one, but he has directors for sport and commercial affairs and I think this is a good setup. Ross's role shows that he (Carey) is looking for competence in areas where he lacks experience."

 

Seems Bernie has plans??? --- Via BBC

Interesting. Have also been told by a trusted source they expect Ecclestone to fight back v Liberty - with a breakaway series by 2019

Andrew Benson added,
Peter Windsor @PeterDWindsor
The response today when an F1 luminary was asked privately how Mr E was doing: "He's setting-up a breakaway series". Don't laugh.

 

LOL!

Will he still be alive?

 

Bernie was ****..he ****ed up the sport...he should go and make crab racing!!!

 

Good question and also who is going to run his new series. Bernie is damaged and mostly self inflicted at that.

 

https://joesaward.wordpress.com/2017/01/26/an-alternative-championship/

--Bernie Ecclestone has a formidable reputation as a deal maker and he ruled Formula 1 with an iron hand until his desire to pocket cash eventually saw him lose control of the empire – and get eased aside.

Some would now have us believe that the 86-year-old Peter Pan is now going to start a rival championship to Formula 1.

Good luck to him with that.--

 

heck..he could make a series with himself, Mosley , Charlie and Todt..driving rubber ducks shaped karts....i would watch!!

 

They should have the first race at "Fantasy Land".

 

Sounds like a Japanese game show.

 

JANUARY 27, 2017

Ecclestone planning F1 breakaway series?



Mere days after he was "deposed", rumours and reports are swirling that former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone might be planning a breakaway.

The latest real news is that Ecclestone, 86, is selling his remaining $28 million stake in formula one, with F1 business journalist Christian Sylt writing in the Guardian that it will leave him with just 0.5 per cent.

At the very same time, the diminutive Briton's long-time friend and business colleague Flavio Briatore has emerged in the media, predicting dark times ahead for formula one.

"The picture is bleak," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport, "with teams in financial crisis, circuits collapsing and this hybrid formula that serves no one."

Germany's Auto Bild said a 'pirate series' set up by Ecclestone would theoretically be the old 'GP1' concept devised some years ago by Briatore, the ousted former Renault team boss.

The report said 'GP1' would be comprised of GP2 and GP3 teams, featuring normally aspirated engines and lower budgets.

One theory is that F1 teams balking at Liberty Media's idea of budget caps might also switch with Ecclestone to his new series, even though their current contracts run until 2020.

Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko said: "We are fully behind formula one and want nothing to do with any other planned series."

 

Hard to believe Liberty would invest $8 Bio and leave themselves open to this kind of thing.

But hey if Bernie can pull it off we could be in for a real treat in terms of racing again.

 

Surely Liberty can not stop another series to be set up?

Their purchase is only about the commercial rights of the F1 championship.

 

A new series cheaper that F1 could be feasible. Something like GP2+, with specs chassis and only atmo engines.

It wouldn't be F1, of course, but may well rival it in terms of spectacle, by providing more close racing and ... noise! It would be more driver oriented than technical.

I'm sure you would like that, so would a lot of spectators.

Bernie has all the connections with teams (from GP3, GP2, F3), organisers, tracks, TV channels to set it up. I'm sure it would be a success.

This could well be a thorn in the side of F1. Of course Bernie would have to label it differently.

The thing is, time is running out for Bernie.