Formula 1: Ecclestone accused of 'crapping' on F1 product while in charge by Chase Carey

Formula 1

Ecclestone accused of 'crapping' on F1 product while in charge

Liberty Media boss Chase Carey reckons nothing was done to fix issues back in the day

Martin Macdonald

Tuesday 10 March 2020 10:24

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Formula 1 chairman and Liberty Media boss Chase Carey has accused previous F1 management, namely Bernie Ecclestone, of complaining too much about the sport while not acting to fix the problematic issues.

In the latter years of his tenure in particular, Ecclestone became critical of the product and had particular dislike for the new V6 turbo hybrid engines.

He even admitted at one point that he wouldn’t buy a ticket to see F1 in its current state back then.

Carey has accused him of “crapping” on the product which was ultimately counterproductive.

"The sport had gotten a little too critical of itself, as I said, crapping on the engines, Bernie saying I wouldn't buy a ticket,” he explained to Autosport.

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"It's complaining, not fixing. There were problems, but there wasn't enough action to address the problems, like the costs.

"People complained about it, but they weren't doing anything about it. Usually in life, if you've got issues, you fix them."

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In 2021 a new budget cap will be introduced in the sport to try and level the playing field between the midfield and the elite teams, and Carey believes costs should have been addressed long before Liberty Media took over.

"There were things that the sport needed to get on top of that it hasn't," Carey said.

"I do think the issue with things like costs got to a place that should have been dealt with before. I think the sport probably did not organise itself.

"I've talked about the hybrid engine and the incredible technology involved in it, and yet the years preceding us mostly was all people crapping on it as opposed to saying:

'This is the most efficient engine, it's an incredible piece of technology,' and it was really a step for the sport to deal with an important issue."

Expansion has been one of the key aspects of Liberty Media’s ownership so far, as the 2020 F1 season will see the most races in the history of the sport for a single campaign.