FrukostScones wrote:Bernie and Briatore to start GP1. as he is pushed out by new owners.
https://twitter.com/andrewbensonf1/stat ... 7675431936
grandprix.com, Jan 25, 2017 wrote:[Chase] Carey said: "It will be up to us where and when [Ecclestone's] advice is of help and appropriate."
And he told the Sun newspaper: "Bernie is a one-man team -- it was not right in today's world."
It was a
huge mistake for Liberty to push Ecclestone completely out of the picture. We're talking about a man who's worth $3 billion--
over 6x more than Liberty's operating income in 2015, 12x more than the company's net income--and who's old enough to piss away every penny with no lasting consequences should he so choose.
I don't think enough folks realize that the popular perception of Bernie Ecclestone is often
vastly different from that of the people who actually work with him...
Forbes, Feb 25, 2015 wrote:“I’ve done so many deals on a handshake,” [Ecclestone] told GQ magazine in 2013 adding that “the biggest thing for me is people trust me so people rely on me.” It has been lost on no one.
“At the end of the day, Formula One is a closet of hundreds of contracts and Bernie knows them all. He has done them all. The teams trust him and it is difficult to get trust with teams,” says [Alejandro Agag, head of Formula E].
Echoing this, Mr Ecclestone told the Independent in 2012 that “one day, I’m not going to be there and one of the biggest problems is I’ve got really, really good relationships with the race promoters. A few of them said to me, ‘if you’re not there, we’re not there’. That’s what the danger is. They feel that they trust me and wouldn’t want to let me down. That’s probably a very important issue.”
Ron Walker, chairman of the Australian Grand Prix, concurs and revealed to motoring magazine Autoweek that “there will be a number of promoters who will retire when Bernie retires.” Mr Walker explained that “promoters have a very special relationship with Bernie. He is more of a friend than a business colleague, and they are reaching the same age group.”
Say what you will about his outdated methodology, his devotion is unimpeachable, and he
always delivers.
At best, Liberty is now pretty much obligated to offer
very generous terms in its contracts with teams, promoters, licensees, etc., because Ecclestone will do everything he can to undermine those efforts. Hell, he can even shoulder the cost of breaching current deals (that he knows inside and out). It wouldn't be
the first time he's used a fee to reach an end.
It sorta reminds me of this gem from the United States' new Secretary of Defense...
"I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fück with me, I’ll kill you all.”
--Gen. James Mattis, USMC (Ret.)
(To anyone who thinks this can't happen, I urge you to read about "
The Split.")