Formula 1

Ecclestone responds to F1 teams’ EU complaint

1 Mins read

Formula 1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone has responded to the news that the Sahara Force India and Sauber F1 teams are going through with a complaint the European Union competitions commission, saying he does not blame the two teams for voicing their dissatisfaction.

The two teams have complained about the governance and payment structure of Formula 1, which was negotiated by commercial rights holder Ecclestone and F1 owners CVC Capital Partners, including the additional payments Ferrari, Red Bull Racing, Mercedes, McLaren and Williams receive on top of their prize monies earned each season.

Ecclestone admits he is unfazed by the action taken by Force India and Sauber, and does not blame them for the change of heart since signing their own contracts in 2012, especially in the current economic struggle that Formula 1 finds itself in this season.

“We haven’t discouraged or encouraged anybody to do anything,” said Ecclestone to Autosport. “That’s what the European Union is there for, for these sorts of things.

“They [the teams] must give it a go, and if they’re successful it’s good, and if not then it costs nothing.

“The bottom line is, what they [the teams] are saying is we’re giving too much money to some people and not enough to the others.

“But all this was done whereby everybody knew what they would be getting and what would happen, and they all signed contracts which were very clear. They’ve had a change of heart I suppose, and I don’t blame them, not at all.

“Somebody will have a look at it and either decide the agreements they’ve signed are valid and they stick by them, or they’re not valid and they have to be changed. From our point of view it won’t make any difference at all.”

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Long time motorsport fanatic, covering Formula 1 and the occassional other series. Feel free to give him a follow on Twitter at @Paul11MSport.
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