Bernie Ecclestone

Bram

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A Q&A with Bernie at formula1.com:

Q: You have suggested gold medals should be introduced. How would that work?
Bernie Ecclestone: My idea is that instead of points we should award medals to the drivers finishing first to third in a race, gold for the winner, silver for the second placed driver and bronze for the driver who comes third.

Q: So how will the drivers’ championship be decided?
BE: The title will be awarded to the driver who wins the most gold medals in a season and if there were a tie, the number of silver medals won would be taken into account (and if still tied, it would be decided by bronze medals and so on).

Q: What is behind the idea?
BE: Well, quite simply, it will make Formula One a much more exciting spectacle because it will incentivise drivers to race to win. We should see much more overtaking, drivers will take more chances and they will race each other all the way to the chequered flag. At the moment, quite often we see drivers settling for second, third or fourth position, and the race can be dull in the final stint after the last round of pit stops. The drivers aren’t to blame, they’re racers, but the scoring system forces them to be too conservative. As things are, if they want to take the title, it is better to settle for a few, safe points rather than chase down the guy in front and risk going home with no points.

But this is Formula One, the pinnacle of world motorsport, and only the best driver should win the title. Being a Formula One world champion is not about being a consistent and reliable runner-up. It’s about racing hard, taking chances and not settling for second best. Last year, Hamilton was leading the drivers’ championship before he had even secured his maiden win. Likewise, after Canada this year, Kubica led the drivers’ championship on points even though Hamilton, Massa and Raikkonen had all won more races. Lewis and Robert are both extremely talented, but I don’t think the system should produce that kind of result. It shouldn’t be possible for someone to be crowned world champion without winning a single race, but that really could happen unless we change the scoring system.

Q: Are you suggesting that the constructors’ championship be decided in the same way?
BE: No, I think we should keep that as it is, awarding points for places 1 to 8 as we do now. For the teams, constructor points are purely a financial matter as they determine a team’s share of the annual prize fund. Fighting for a point or two really matters to the teams further down the grid and I don’t see any reason to change that. Back in 2003, we extended the points system down to eighth place which was great for the teams, especially the smaller ones, but it aggravated the problem with the drivers scoring system because by increasing the number of points for coming second from 6 to 8, we made the step from first to second place too shallow. That year, Michael (Schumacher) won the title from Kimi (Raikkonen) by only two points but Michael had won six races whereas Kimi had won just one race. Kimi is a great driver and a natural racer but I don’t think it would have been right had he won the title in that situation, however it nearly happened.


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I'd like to see a more heavy weighted points system towards the top, 1st 10 to 2nd 8 is not enough i'd agree with him definetly.

How about:

1st 12
2nd 8
3rd 6
4th 5
5th 4
6th 3
7th 2
8th 1

I think that would be a much better format :D
 
  • Wido Rossen

bernie talks some more .....

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has hit back at Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo's calls for teams to be given a much bigger share of the sport's revenue and more say in how it is run.

Di Montezemolo, who is also chairman of the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA), told selected media including autosport.com at Maranello this week that the time was coming for Ecclestone to give up both money and control of F1 to the teams.

"In terms of revenue, we want to know more about them," said di Montezemolo. "Theoretically, like in other professional sports, like basketball in the USA, we can have a league made by us and appoint a good league manager to run our own business. Because it is our own business.

"We want to know the revenues better so we can decrease the cost of the tickets. Then we have the matter of traditional tracks rather than exotic tracks just because they have a nice skyline. We have to discuss the show. How to promote. I'm not prepared any more to have all this dictated to us by outside without any control."

But Ecclestone has been angered by those comments - and thinks it especially wrong for di Montezemolo to criticise him because of the special financial arrangements that Ferrari have enjoyed within F1 due to their historical importance.

"The only thing he has not mentioned is the extra money Ferrari get above all the other teams and all the extra things Ferrari have had for years - the 'general help' they are considered to have had in Formula One," Ecclestone told The Times.

"Ferrari get so much more money than everyone else. They know exactly what they get; they are not that stupid, although they are not that bright, either. They get about $80 million (£54 million) more. When they win the constructors' championship, which they did this year, they got $80 million more than if McLaren had won it."

He added: "What he should do, rather than asking for money, with all the extra money Ferrari gets, he should share all that amongst the teams."

Ecclestone says the terms of the current special Ferrari deal were agreed back in 2003, when some teams were considering a breakaway championship because they were unhappy about the running of the sport.

"They were the only team that broke ranks with the other manufacturers - why did they break ranks?" he said. "That's where the $80 million comes in. We 'bought' Ferrari. We 'bought' Ferrari's loyalty. Our deal with Ferrari was that we 'bought' them so they would not go to the others."

Ecclestone was also left unimpressed by suggestions from di Montezemolo that it was time the teams were given a full breakdown of how money was distributed in the sport.

"They have the right to send people into the company and search for everything," Ecclestone said, referring to a clause in the Concorde Agreement that allows full examination of the sport's books.

"Ferrari in particular, more than anybody, from day one, have had the right and they've never done it. We have bankers here and we've got CVC (CVC Capital Partners, the principal owners of Formula One) checking every single solitary thing. So anybody that starts saying that we've done anything wrong, I'll sue the a*** off them."

And in a final swipe at di Montezemolo, Ecclestone suggested he knew less about Ferrari than many of the people who worked at the Italian car manufacturer.

"It's a shame he's not in touch with people that seem to run the company as opposed to what he does – work as a press officer," said Ecclestone.
 
  • Alex Guehennec

I've not readed all but the idea to reward the drivers who win races and fight for it, is good
 
Its sad how there are those sort of people in the world. I have absolutely no time for them.

Picture of Bernie with the black eye:

214041_1.jpg
 
The only one to blame here is Mr. Ecclestone himself. Since when does a billionaire goes walking around anywhere without his security detail. I don't know the man, but that happens for being cheap.
 
I couldn't care about Bernie, he's tried his very hardest to ruin motor racing over the years. Got what was coming to him in my opinion.

I can't believe this comment mate.

Bernie maybe an irritating person but he tries to do good for F1, keep it in shape and he even did well in Global economic crisis. Of course he is old and makes many mistakes. But as i said these are 'mistakes'. Also even he was trying to ruin motorsports on purpose which i don't believe, that should'nt be his punishment imo.
 
I can't believe this comment mate.

Bernie maybe an irritating person but he tries to do good for F1, keep it in shape and he even did well in Global economic crisis. Of course he is old and makes many mistakes. But as i said these are 'mistakes'. Also even he was trying to ruin motorsports on purpose which i don't believe, that should'nt be his punishment imo.

He goes around saying things like 'all these new F1 teams are a complete embarrassment' after he was the one who wanted to get them all in on it.

I've got no time for him at all. Much like most of the FIA. He should have retired years ago and got someone who actually has an idea about motorsports to take his place. F1 has been a total farce since the early 90's. Bernie and the FIA have done their very best to ruin that, much like they do with every other series out there that becomes popular enough to challenge F1.
 
He goes around saying things like 'all these new F1 teams are a complete embarrassment' after he was the one who wanted to get them all in on it.

I've got no time for him at all. Much like most of the FIA. He should have retired years ago and got someone who actually has an idea about motorsports to take his place. F1 has been a total farce since the early 90's. Bernie and the FIA have done their very best to ruin that, much like they do with every other series out there that becomes popular enough to challenge F1.

You should get banned from these forums for condoning violence. Absolutely disgraceful. Even if he has deliberately ruined F1 (which I don't think he has) if you look at this attack on its face value:

Its an elderly, 80 year old man attacked by thugs. Forget about FOM, if this was your grandfather how would you feel? You certainly wouldn't be acting as if he deserved it

I can't believe this comment mate.

Bernie maybe an irritating person but he tries to do good for F1, keep it in shape and he even did well in Global economic crisis. Of course he is old and makes many mistakes. But as i said these are 'mistakes'. Also even he was trying to ruin motorsports on purpose which i don't believe, that should'nt be his punishment imo.

Can't agree more. However I wouldn't call you mate, I have no time for people like you James
 
I can't believe this comment mate.

Bernie maybe an irritating person but he tries to do good for F1, keep it in shape and he even did well in Global economic crisis. Of course he is old and makes many mistakes. But as i said these are 'mistakes'. Also even he was trying to ruin motorsports on purpose which i don't believe, that should'nt be his punishment imo.

Tries to do good for F1?
Well if he is then I should quote Homer Simpson: 'Trying is the first step towards failure'.
Bernie hasn't done anything good for F1 rather than take us to some boring tracks and taking use away from already well established motor circuits.
Although noone, not even him deserves to be robbed or punched.
 

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