Who is the 'good cop & bad cop' of F1?

Mercedes boss Dieter Zetsche has described himself and Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne as the 'good cop and bad cop' of Formula One referring to the latter's much-publicised criticism of the direction the sport is going in, but did go on to reveal that the pair are friends.

Marchionne has regularly clashed with both the FIA and Liberty Media over the future of F1, particularly with regards to new engine regulations and the engine limit of three per season.

Zetsche admits that he and Marchionne remain friends despite these grumblings and their teams rivalry on the track.

“We are the good cop and the bad cop. We beat each other like crazy on the track and try to get every tenth of a second of advantage but at the same time we are 100% aligned on our thoughts in Formula 1 and our strategic actions in Formula 1. We are good friends.”

Mercedes have won four championships in a row and are going for their fifth in 2018, but despite this dominance Zetsche insists the Silver Arrows will not take their foot off the gas.

“We are there to stay in Formula 1 but of course the platform itself has to stay meaningful and develop positively. I have said many times the best outcome would be winning the championship by one point in the last race. Being on the track last half of last season I was not that sure of my statement!

“To be clear, we want to be successful and we want the platform to be successful and when one is dominant that doesn’t help. We need stronger competitors and rule changes which give new cars to everybody and to some extent, this last season was that change."

The Mercedes boss went on to describe ways in which F1 could improve, and he thinks fan engagement is a big issue that needs addressing.

“I think it is a pretty good show but there’s potential. I think on the digital side point of side much more can be leveraged. There should be opportunities to engage fans, for example, you could sit in your living room and try out for a team on your screen, and try to beat the other teams virtually."