Ecclestone to small teams: “don’t spend as much”

Bernie Ecclestone: no financial assistance to Formula One's smaller teams

From Autosport — Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone says the smaller teams should not expect any extra financial help from the sport's owners – but dismissed talk of a plan for third cars in 2015.

Despite Ecclestone telling Force India, Lotus and Sauber that he planned to speak to F1's owner CVC next week, he claims he has no intention of sorting out any financial matters for them. Instead, he reckons that the simplest solution to the current problems is for the smaller outfits to cut back their spending so they can guarantee their survival.

"I tell you the way forward: it is very easy. Don't spend as much," he said. "We are giving these teams collectively $900 million and that's enough. To survive in the way they have been surviving, start running the business like a business rather than a hobby."

Ecclestone confirmed that he would be speaking to CVC Donald McKenzie next week, but denied that it would be about securing more cash for the smaller teams.

"I am speaking to Donald about something completely different," he said. "It is not their [the small teams'] position to decide."

NO THIRD CAR PLAN RIGHT NOW

The struggles of the smaller teams to survive has prompted fresh talk that the big outfits could be required to run a third car as early as next year.

Contractual commitments with the FIA and FOM mean that Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari must run an extra car if grid numbers fall too low and they are asked to do so. But Ecclestone denied talk that he had already requested them to do so.

"No," he said. "At the moment there has been no agreement for a third car."

Red Bull too also made clear that it had not been pushed for a third car – nor had any desire to be running an extra machine that could cost it in excess of $30 million.

"Red Bull has not yet been requested to run a third car next season," said a statement from the team. "Our preference would be a full grid of two-car teams."

However, longer term Ecclestone is still open minded about the idea of customer cars being allowed – with there being a new teams' championship being set up for those not making their own cars.

"There may be an idea we could run a constructors' championship alongside a team championship," he said. "In the team championship they run the same cars and same engines, which is really going back to the old days when we had a [Cosworth] DFV engine and a Hewland gearbox and we just made the chassis."