Formula One news
Ecclestone predicts changes to budget figure
04 May 2009Bernie Ecclestone believes that the proposed £40m figure from the FIA for next year's budget cap may increase before the start of the season in order to persuade all teams to follow the initiative. The spending limit has been met with mixed views from a number of teams, most notably Ferrari, disagreeing with the figure.
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With FIA president Max Mosley having originally suggested an amount hovering in the £30m region, the eventual decision emerging from the governing body's meeting in Paris last Wednesday saw £40m being put forward as the limit for teams next year, minus certain expenses such as hospitality and driver salaries. The Ferrari team appears to oppose the idea more than most, however, with the view that a cap - if put in place - should include a less drastic cut and featuring aa annual step-by-step cut.
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| Di Montezemolo is not happy with the FIA's current proposal |
"It would appear that everyone is in favour of the cap, including Ferrari, if we can get them to agree, which we can," F1 commercial rights holder Ecclestone said to The Times. "However, there is concern over the amount that is referred to in the cap for some of the teams and also the two-tier system. So these are probably not monumental things to sort out." The system in question would involve teams selecting a set of technical regulations to follow for the championship: either be granted greater technical freedom and accept the budget cap or continue with the more restricted technical regulations of this year but with an unlimited budget.
Although Mosley has not altered his decision to retain the cap, and states that the governing body has "very little room to negotiate", Ecclestone is confident for the future of Formula One's longest standing team. "The trouble with Max is he's not capable, like in the past, of wrapping things up nicely with a pink ribbon and things," Ecclestone continued. "He wants to put it in an old cardboard box and tie it with string." Bernie went on to state that Ferrari's future in the sport will not be compromised. "I won't let it happen," he said. "The trouble with Luca (di Montezemolo, Ferrari president) is that you shouldn't let Max ever be in a position where he can start a debate or an argument. He's reasonably clever and you won't win. Even if you do win, it's like you being in the audience and me being there with the microphone. You say something smart and I don't give you the microphone — it's as easy as that."
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