Ecclestone: F1 'not racing anymore'
Bernie Ecclestone has joined those who are lashing out at the present state of Formula 1.
The former F1 supremo, who is in Austria this weekend, was ousted by Liberty Media in early 2017.
Asked if he still likes Formula 1, the 88-year-old told Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper: "I still like the brand, yes.
"But like many others, I'm upset because the races are not very good anymore. It's not racing anymore."
Ecclestone said changes are needed "urgently".
"It's like an old house," he said. "You buy it, renovate it, you make it great. But at some point it has lost its character, and is too clinical and no longer great. That applies to Formula 1 now," he said.
Asked what is needed, the Briton answered: "The whole thing needs to be changed, that's the problem. Not something small, a big change. But change is not always good. It has to be good change."
He said the Pirelli situation, with half the teams pushing for different tyres, is emblematic of F1's problem.
"We are at a critical juncture where we are talking about tyres and not the championship," said Ecclestone.
"Nobody understands what's happening, not just the spectaculars but even the teams and the drivers. They should sit together and make a decision.
"Telemetry, engine, aerodynamics, tyres -- this is no longer racing," he insisted. "When you come to a race, you should be talking in the car about who will win, not about why everything has become so bad.
"We should let the complex technology go."
✅ Check out more posts with related topics:
F1 is a testing ground for new technology,Bernie is talking about the past. Do away with the blue flag
In theory that is true, in reality it is not.
ABS, a mixed blessing at best, and power steering, often an overkill, came to us from racing. The only significant technology component that made it from Formula to a car you and I can buy is KERS.
That's about it.
Oh I forgot the oversize coffee cup holders and the steering wheel cell phone controls. Those really improve both the comfort and performance.
Agree whole heartedly. F1 needs to become a 'racing' series again.
Get rid if the Kirbs the huge Run off areas,Armco and Gravel in stead,Now the drivers will race to track limits,or suffer the consequences .
When you have a Media business in control of the sport, it is in that businesses best interest to produce viewing content that not only appeals to it's viewers but more importantly captures the targeted audience demographic.
To capture a particular market you have to give that particular audience what they want to see!
By enlisting select Hollywood A-listers for cameo's in lead up video's or as an entourage and Given the environment for what is their "Preferred" Sporting Result it is possible to script a Cinderella Story/Fantasy like sports ending that will appeal most to the particular targeted audience.
The Result of this is The Formula Once deemed The pinnacle of motor sport, famous for it's in depth technical aspects and the forefront of automotive engineering development, effectively finds itself being "Dumbed Down"! while celebrity appearances provide broadcast content appealing to their targeted viewer demographic..... like TMZ viewers!
In Short, Formula 1 Was Racing , Now it's just another TV show!
I relish the day when Bernie buys it back for a pittance of what he sold it for!
I agree. The wrong organization owns F1. It was obvious from their 1st season when they chose Sky TV for U.S. audiences. They seemed blissfully unaware of the efforts F1 has gone through to establish itself in the U.S. market. They treated it as just another TV show. Nothing against Sky TV, I think they do a very good job for the U.K. audience with references to things/people that I had no idea what they were talking about (& I've been following F1 since the mid 80s). New U.S. viewers would probably view this as a 'European sport' or just another TV show making it less likely to add viewers. With the previous NBC announcers it felt more Americanized even though it was 2 Brits & an Aussie. I believe Liberty Media either doesn't care about F1 or it doesn't understand what it's doing to the sport (reference adding Paul Ricard to the schedule). Combine that with the boredom that has overtaken F1 in the past year or so and you have a recipe for stagnation and decline.
✅ Checkout the latest 50 F1 Fans comments.