Ecclestone calls Sunday's 'race' at Spa a disaster for the fans
Aug.31 - Bernie Ecclestone has blasted Formula 1's handling of the farcical two-lap Belgian GP.
The former F1 supremo, who has been a regular critic of Liberty Media since he was ousted as the sport's CEO, called Sunday at Spa a "disaster".
"You have no influence on the weather, but you do have influence over how you deal with it," Ecclestone, 90, told f1-insider.com.
"You could tell that nobody wanted to take responsibility and make decisions. In the end they did everything wrong together."
Ecclestone even sides with Lewis Hamilton, who he often criticises, for pointing out that the two laps behind the safety car was essentially a cynical move motivated by money.
"How can you do the two laps behind the safety car like that and then act like Stefano (Domenicali) and say 'There was no commercial reason for this!'
"That's not true," Ecclestone charged. "There are contracts.
"By starting the race and completing the minimum laps for a result, their contract is fulfilled. The organiser is therefore obliged to pay the rights holder."
When asked what he would have done differently, Ecclestone said he would have left the field circulating behind the safety car for "a lot more laps".
"On the one hand, to really hope that the weather will improve, but also so they don't look like they do now.
"Because it couldn't be more revealing than stopping after exactly two laps. Now everyone knows that it was only for commercial reasons," he added.
Recalling the teeming rain in Fuji, 1976, Ecclestone said: "It was our first ever global television broadcast. I wanted to start so I said to everyone 'I'm not forcing you to drive'.
"'If you don't want to drive, don't. But the race will start'. Niki Lauda pitted after the first lap and I thought that was fine."
Ecclestone is now calling on Liberty Media to give up the financial proceeds of those two safety car laps to the sodden Spa spectators.
"With the money the rights holders made from those two silly laps, they should compensate the fans who stayed in the rain for ten hours. There would still be enough profit left for them," he said.
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Liberty and Fia lawyers rubbing there hands together at the fees on this already , while rubbs his new spoon and chuckles to himself
Even into his 90's Bernie, while most of these 'pundits' are burping pablum, almost always gets it right. Long live Bernie.
what would happen in America i wonder , re run following day for the superbowl ? or indy 500?
Ror font of all knowledge, (truepost excluded ) your thoughts ?
We 'muricans certainly don't add much to F!, but the retarded organizers in this country (IndyCar, IMSA, BASHCAR, SCCA...everybody) ALWAYS have contingency plans for a next day or backup race, especially the BASHCAR boys. I once threatened to fire an employee for staying over to see a Monday Daytona 500. Not because he was a race fan, but because it was a silly roundy-round race.
that will be you, NOT applying to a pr guy for any of those organisations then lol