'F1 being treated like a fast-food restaurant'

Former Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has hit out at Liberty Media for their methods of running the sport, and has claimed that the American company is treating F1 like a fast-food outlet compared to the 'Michelin Star' treatment it received under his 40-year tenure as owner.

Liberty Media took over Formula One in 2016 and there have been teething problems during the transition, most notably from the company's proposed engine changes for the 2018 season which have been criticised by the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari.

Ecclestone believes the sport is not being ran as well as previous years when he was in charge and when asked if he would like to send a message to Liberty Media, he didn't hold back in his assessment.

"You may not want to publish this. They need to wake up," he told Folha.

"I have nothing against them. I feel sorry for them. It's almost like giving a dentist a doctor's job. I'd always treated F1 as if it were a 3-star Michelin restaurant. It isn't proper to treat F1 like a fast-food restaurant. That's the US standard. It's far below F1's. Everyone who has been involved in F1 for the last 40 years expects a higher standard.

"After being in charge for 40 years, I wouldn't like to go back and have to ask the owners how to proceed, as if I were a hitman. It's as if you were hired to kill someone and then you started wondering: what should I do now?"

Ecclestone then gave his thoughts on the issues surrounding the future of the Brazil Grand Prix at Interlagos.

Incidents of attempted robbery saw a planned Pirelli tyre test cancelled this week, and the attacks on F1 personnel have led to speculation that Sao Paulo may lose the GP after the current partnership ends in 2020. The incidents have hit close to home for Ecclestone, whose mother-in-law was kidnapped in Brazil last year.

"The contract ends in 2020. It's hard to say what will happen afterwards. In order to keep the Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo, the city will have to spend money. Mayor Joao Doria is trying to sell the racetrack. He'd better sell it to someone who is prepared. There are two things Formula 1 needs: pilots who are either world champions or successful. And Ferrari. That's what keeps Formula 1 alive. There aren't any fantastic Brazilian pilots anymore.

"Brazil absolutely needs someone like [Russian president Vladimir] Putin. He'd fix everything."