Ecclestone wants to say “bye bye” to Monza after 2016

Bernie Ecclestone is accustomed to making shocking statements. Especially when it comes to contract negotiations with Grand Prix promoters. As we know, the British financial mogul doesn’t care about historical considerations or the beauty of the tracks. Above all, he wants to globalize Formula 1 as much as possible and take it to where it will generate the largest budget.

In the past, tracks like Silverstone (the venue for the next Grand Prix this weekend), the Gilles Villeneuve circuit in Montreal, or Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, have borne the brunt of Ecclestone’s international ambition. The example of the French Grand Prix, absent from the calendar since 2008, is another clear example of his determination to organize only unquestionably profitable events.

The latest outburst from the most famous octogenarian in the paddock concerns the Italian Grand Prix and more specifically the Monza track, deemed too outdated and above all unprofitable according to his statements, as he describes the recent editions of the race in Italy as a disaster.

He actually confided on this subject to the transalpine newspaper La Gazzetta Dello Sport, in a provocative statement as is his trademark: « I don’t think there will be a new contract. The old one was a real disaster for us from a business perspective. After 2016, bye bye… »

According to Ecclestone, the decline in television audiences observed in Italy is the main reason for his desire to abandon the race at Monza. But according to him, the blame is mainly due to the poor performances recorded by Ferrari in recent years: « TV audiences are lower in Italy than anywhere else. But if Ferrari starts placing first and second in qualifications and races, the audiences will increase everywhere. Ferrari captivates the entire world. »

When the possible organization of an Italian Grand Prix at Mugello is mentioned, as proposed by Ferrari’s president, Luca di Montezemolo, Ecclestone also dismisses this option: “No, no, I have not received any proposal of this kind.”

Finally, the former boss of Brabham, who became the great financier of Formula 1, also thinks that the discipline has become a bit too polished, which makes it lose interest among the younger audience: « Television channels have been fragmented with digital, there is also Twitter, Facebook, and other media, so young people are distracted. Formula 1 is losing spontaneity and freshness. Drivers should be free to speak without constraints, with the press, with the public. Take Räikkönen. He’s a great character, unpredictable, from whom you always expect an original response. But he has to deliver watered-down statements, so you already know what he’s going to say. Alonso? He talks like a politician. If he could speak freely, who knows how many fun and interesting things we would discover. I had guys at Brabham like Lauda and Piquet, and I never dreamed of muzzling them. »