Ecclestone doesn’t see breakaway series happening

What consequences does Ecclestone see teams facing in the event of the breakaway going ahead? "Legally a lot of trouble, but nothing's stopping them," he admitted. "All they are saying is that they want to have a bit more of a say in the regulations. I'd be surprised if there was a breakaway, but it is still possible."

Ecclestone explained how Max Mosley, as FIA president, is naturally involved in such conflict. "Everyone is talking to each other all the time," said the head of Formula One Management (FOM) to BBC Radio 5 Live. "People have their own ideas about what should happen but there's enough time until next year – I have no problems with anyone, but Max has got himself into this position because he wants to bring down the costs; so rather than wait for that to happen, he introduced the budget cap – he's the president of the FIA, he has to be part of it."