Ecclestone: “Expect departures of manufacturers”

Both the WEC that WRC were hit hard by the recent announcements of the cessation of the official programs of Audi Sport in LM P1, then of Volkswagen Motorsport in rally. These departures do not call into question the short and medium term sustainability of the championships, as the various officials repeat.

La F1 was in its time faced with the defection of several brands, notably BMW or Honda in the 2000s, and this scenario still remains possible as Bernie Ecclestone admitted in an interview with Auto Motor und Sport.

“We need to listen, comments Ecclestone. It could happen to us that Mercedes et Ferrari leave us. But honestly, if the race is better, maybe it wouldn't be a terrible sight. In any case, we must expect manufacturers to leave.

Mercedes le fera sans doute le jour où cela leur paraitra opportun. Nous avons déjà connu cela et il n’y a pas si longtemps avec Honda, BMW, Toyota … Ils s’en vont quand la Formule 1 a accompli le travail pour eux. Il n’y a pas de reconnaissance, et il en va de même avec les organisateurs.

Look at Singapore. Yes, the Grand Prix cost them a lot of money, but we also gave a lot of money. Singapore suddenly became something other than an airport. Now they believe they have achieved their goal and may no longer want a Grand Prix. »