Ecclestone says F1 hybrid engines were a big mistake

Ecclestone knows the high tech engines sound horrible and create an advantage for the big teams

Complaints, knee jerk reaction and criticism are not unusual in our world of F1 social media. And so it is rather ironic that the man who has failed the new media generation also voices such things about his own product, namely F1.

Yet again, the boss of F1 (for now) has told reporters that F1’s ‘biggest mistake was introducing hybrid’ into the sport. Perhaps in an attempt to shape the new owners thoughts as to the future of F1, again Mr E criticizes the complicated technology and Mercedes dominance. Repeatedly stressing he’d change the engine rules today if it were possible.

“The problem is that they [the manufacturers] have spent a lot of money for the engines and they do not want to just drop it," said Ecclestone to the German press yesterday.

“When they were designed, no one would have believed that it is what we have today.

“Before the race, people want to think that four or five guys can win, but now they say usually: ‘It is one of those two, probably Lewis…"

“The biggest mistake people have made — and I say people because I was not alone — was not insisting that Mercedes supply Red Bull with an engine,"

“If they had the same engine as Mercedes, we would see good racing," Ecclestone is convinced.

Who can forget the farcical, nigh comedy pantomime story that occurred when Red Bull spurred Renault for the last time in 2015. Convinced that VW would enter F1 and save the day for Red Bull, alas it wasn’t to be.

The idea of a Mercedes Power Unit in a Red Bull was a non starter. In no small part due to the complicated political struggle between Mercedes bosses, Niki Lauda wishing to help his friend Helmut Marko of Red Bull and Toto Wolff’s fears of allowing the dilution of the Silver Arrows success within the sport. Ever present was the fear that all that Merc IP would then just fall into the lap of a VW deal to become Red Bull’s sole supplier the following year.

And yet since the dawn of the 2014 Hybrid era Mercedes has dominated. Laughable considering they’re the one manufacturer that never wanted KERS, the early hybrid electrical boost system introduced in 2009.

Mr Ecclestone has often been critical of these hybrid engine regs. But it is very hard to imagine that he had no say in that direction when he and his mate Max Mosley, the former FIA president, lead F1 into this era. And perhaps that is the biggest irony of all. Thejudge.com