Bernie says: “the grid is on the regime’s time”

Last weekend during the German GP, Bernie Ecclestone and Renault reached an agreement in principle on the early payment of TV rights revenues for the next season. This request from the Enstone team aims to finance the development of the car planned for 2011. This announcement raised concerns about the financial health of the French team. On his side, Bernie Ecclestone sought to be reassuring: “All this fuss about Renault’s situation comes from the fact that one of the shareholders did not want to transfer money from one of the group’s other companies, as it would have meant convening a board meeting… However, I never gave them this money. They managed to withstand the crisis, so everything is fine.”

Ecclestone is very clear about the situation of the Renault F1 Team; for him, there’s no issue. However, the question of financial stability is currently relevant. For the F1’s chief financier, it’s more than likely that one or two teams on the grid might withdraw before the end of the season. He even states that, apart from Lotus, the other new teams wouldn’t be missed in F1 if they were to leave: “I wouldn’t be surprised if one or two teams don’t make it to the end of the season. I think there are some teams in Formula 1 that really shouldn’t be there… All we want is 10 teams… Lotus is a big name. I wouldn’t want to lose them. But in general this year, what’s been troubling is that it has taken a lot of money to keep these teams struggling in the race. It has cost a lot of money to try to support the competition.”

Ecclestone remains skeptical about the current grid size with its 24 cars, as there is talk of increasing to 26 cars next year if the FIA agrees to allocate the spot left vacant by the USF1 team. For Bernie, returning to 10 teams on the grid would not pose any problems for F1. For him, being present every race weekend in the most demanding motorsport paddock in the world must be earned: «The essential thing is that these teams have not really given us the impression that they deserved to be there. If suddenly these teams did not show up at the races, I don’t think the crowd would be smaller, the televisions would turn off, or that we would stop writing articles in the newspapers, would we? »

Let us recall that the GP2 ART team, managed by Nicolas Todt, was expected to join the F1 lineup as early as next season. Recently, this team announced that it was canceling its project. Given the seriousness of this organization, its financial backing, and the numerous talented young drivers it has had in its ranks (Hamilton, Rosberg, Hülkenberg, Buemi… or even Bianchi now), one can assume that this withdrawal is largely due to the financial analysis of such an endeavor. If such competent leaders deem it impossible, there is reason for HRT and Virgin to be concerned. It is very likely that ART closely observed what these two teams were experiencing in their first season. The decision not to pursue the F1 project might have preempted Bernie Ecclestone’s announcement.

It is also understood that in these times of crisis, increasing the number of teams weakens the potential of sponsors. Knowing that some have already left F1, this loss could even affect the Top Teams. The title sponsor of the Scuderia, if they were to leave, would leave a gaping hole in the budget of the Italian team.

In these times of crisis, there is one sport that is not affected at all: speculation. For some, the current F1 is already dead and buried, and the idea of promoting a new championship appeals to certain individuals. Thus, Flavio Briatore and Luca di Montezemolo have discussed a joint project aimed at supplanting F1.

In these times of crisis, it would be important for everyone to play the card of sacred union in order to preserve this sport, to offer a true spectacle at each race, and to guarantee the presence of independent structures.