Eddie Jordan says Ecclestone should retire

From GP 247 — Eddie Jordan is one of the first high profile figures to come out and slam Bernie Ecclestone publicly for his controversial and increasingly erratic views on the way Formula 1 should be run and marketed in the age of new media.

Jordan, a former F1 team owner and well known admirer of Ecclestone in the past, told Sportsmail, "Bernie says one thing to your paper, another thing to a different paper, and another thing to me. It is out of control. Nobody knows whether he means what he says or even knows what he is saying."

"One moment he said he wanted to help the smaller teams out of their financial trouble; then the next moment that he didn’t care about them. He said they had come to him with begging bowls," recalled Jordan.

Most recently Ecclestone’s comments in an interview with Campaign (Asia-Pacific) claiming F1 did not need young fans incensed many, to which Jordan said, "Last week he said he did not want to get the younger generation interested in F1. Perhaps if he doesn’t want them and doesn’t understand social media, he should hand over to someone who does."

"We are only custodians of the sport. We have a responsibility to the next generation to hand it over in a fit, healthy and competitive state. Retirement comes to everybody and I believe it is time for Bernie to consider whether he should retire."

Jordan, who is a F1 pundit with BBC, founded and ran the Jordan F1 team from 1991 and sold the team in early 2005. Along the way the outfit scored four race victories and 19 podiums, finishing third in the 1999 constructors' championship. (GP247)