Quotes of the week

Luca di Montezemolo calls for Bernie's head

“I think sooner or later he [Ecclestone] has to stop. We now have to look at the future and mainly what we want to do after 2012. We have to open an important page with Ecclestone and [Donald] Mackenzie [co-founder of CVC Capital Partners, the main owners of Formula One], not only in terms of quantity of money but in terms of how to do many things — circuits, spectators, hospitality, television, types of track and timing of races. Do you think it is normal that we don’t have one race in North America? Do you think it is normal that we understand from the newspapers that the Canadian Grand Prix is over? Do you think it is normal that we see important sponsors decide to leave the small and moderate-sized teams? Do you think it is normal that we pay unbelievable amounts for hospitality to promote ourselves at the races? Do you think it is normal that we cannot discuss the timing of races? There is no professional sport in the world where the players get less than 50 per cent of the total cake. We want to know more about the revenues." Luca di Montezemolo, President of Ferrari, has dropped heavy hints that he believes that Bernie Ecclestone’s reign as king of Formula One is coming to an end and that it is time for a new approach to the sport in the wake of the cost-cutting deal agreed by the teams and the FIA, the sport’s governing body.

Bernie Ecclestone exposed Ferrari's little secret and slaps its President down to size

“The only thing he [Luca di Montezemolo] has not mentioned is the extra money. Ferrari get above all the other teams and all the extra things Ferrari have had for years – the ‘general help’ they are considered to have had in Formula One. Ferrari get so much more money than everyone else. They know exactly what they get, they are not that stupid, although they are not that bright, either. They get about $80 million (about £54 million) more. When they win the constructors’ championship, which they did this year, they got $80 million more than if McLaren had won it. They were the only team that broke ranks with the other manufacturers – why did they break ranks? That’s where the $80 million comes in. We ‘bought’ Ferrari. We ‘bought’ Ferrari’s loyalty. Our deal with Ferrari was that we ‘bought’ them so they would not go to the others. They have the right to send people into the company and search for everything. Ferrari in particular, more than anybody, from day one, have had the right and they’ve never done it. We have bankers here and we’ve got CVC (CVC Capital Partners, the principal owners of Formula One) checking every single solitary thing. So anybody that starts saying that we’ve done anything wrong, I’ll sue the a*** off them. What he should do, rather than asking for money, with all the extra money Ferrari gets, he should share all that amongst the teams. It’s a shame he’s not in touch with people that seem to run the company as opposed to what he does – work as a press officer." Bernie Ecclestone, President and CEO of Formula One Management and Formula One Association