F1 leader Bernie Ecclestone often sounds like a crazy old uncle you see at a family reunion. In a new interview, he cements that reputation.
The controversial Formula One figure gave an interview this week to Campaign Asia-Pacific, where he said just what he thinks of F1 and the fans and the teams.
In short, he’s unsympathetic. The 84-year-old Ecclestone dismisses the notion F1 should be more accessible, brushing off criticism the high cost of the sport makes it just for the rich and the rich companies that back the teams. He basically says if F1 is too expensive for young people today without wealthy sponsors, they should be playing with some sort of ball.
“Just don’t spend as much,” is his answer to escalating F1 costs driving smaller teams out. Ecclestone insists teams can take a small budget and become competitive over years of hard work, regardless of the costs and pressures of the sport.
Ecclestone then follows it up with this comment: “It’s the same thing for everything in life, isn’t it, really? It’s the same problem with ladies and credit cards.”
He compares struggling F1 teams to sprinter Oscar Pistorius, saying he wasn’t notable for winning gold medals, just for his subsequent trial for murder. Ecclestone said F1 needs teams like Ferrari, but doesn’t need ones without the brand cachet.
Remember, this is a man who earlier this year sided with Vladimir Putin on anti-gay policies.
Read the full Q&A and see if you draw up a similar picture of Bernie waving a rolled-up newspaper in the air.
By Zac Estrada
Opening Photo: Wikimedia Commons
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