Ferrari boss warns Bernie and FIA

[KC]

Quite possibly the single most influential man in F1 that is not with the FIA is Luca di Montezomolo, the head man at the sports most powerful marque Ferrari. Gazzetta della Sport reported that he warned Bernie that the manufacturers do not believe that Kirch Multimedia deserves the same level of pay that Bernie takes for himself and the FIA.

"Bernie has many merits," Montezemolo said. "From the days in Formula 1 when I had to go to Monza to threaten to pull out the cars if we did not have more tickets and when TV only broadcast the Grand Prix at Italia, Monte Carlo and Nurburgring we have reached the success of today.

"So great were Ecclestone's merits that the teams were prepared to forget his economic greed. Other managers were happy with 10-20pct, but he was not. If now Ecclestone, for his own reasons, decides to sell the TV rights to others, then he no longer has the constructors on board."

As of now the agreement lasts until 2007 and will be honored by the manufacturers but they will be ready to startup a rival Grand Prix World Championship in 2008 if things are not righted in their estimation. The FIA and Bernie take 57% of the earnings from Formula 1 with the remaining 43% split up between the teams and manufacturers. When Bernie sold 57% of his empire to Kirch they expected to reap the same benefit and the teams and manufacturers are not willing to allow that to proceed.

Am I alone is thinking that the sell off of Formula 1 could be a gigantic scam by Bernie? He sells off Formula 1 and then later defects with the teams to form a new series and keeps the huge money he got from Kirch? Leaving them with a series and no one to race in it? It has happened in business before, why not in the business of motorracing.

[Aysedasi]

Hmmm. Sneaky eh? Sounds distinctly Bernie-ish to me.

Hasn't the guy got enough already?

[Gt_R]

Haha...if that's true, then he IS brilliant!

But i must say, i do admire Bernie in a way... he commands the respect of the pit lane residents, and he really put in a lot of work to make F1 what it is today. I can forgive his greeds too, afterall, i earn 0% of any F1 income, and i think what the contructors think is very much understandable... Why let somebody who did no contribution to F1 get all the rewards?


oh..since the constructors are rallying together, why not we spectators also get together to demand better free TV coverage (Bernie's digital would be good), and other goodies? Afterall, F1 would a ghostly sports without us?

[Maxmil]

Leave it to LdM to lay it on the line. Probably the most concise explanation of the roots of the dispute that has appeared to date. On the other issue, I really doubt that Bernie will be a part of the "manufacturers' series" if and when it actually come about. There has to be alot of hard feelings among the constructors and the engine builders over the Kirch deal. I doubt they would dream of giving him the scope to operate as the Commissioner of their new series. Also, the man probably will want to retire at some point; I don't see him as wanting to keel over in harness.