Has Bernie Ecclestone driven another nail into the coffin of Formula 1?
Ecclestone, who owns the commercial rights to Formula 1, is no stranger to controversy. He once said women should dress in white "like all other domestic appliances." In fact he probably craves the coverage to boost his net worth; after all the PR gurus say there is no such thing as bad publicity.
But Formula 1 has indeed suffered enough bad publicity recently; the internal squabbling, the financial issues. Personally I lost interest in Formula 1 during the procession of the Michael Schumacher years, when the very dull German won the championship for what seemed like 25 years in a row. So my facts may be a little out, but the sport does need revitalizing and I think that has been accepted.
As sport in general has become more global, with the media injecting money left right and centre, sport has to re energise itself to keep the public interest, to stop viewers selecting other channels, to keep them buying tickets and stop them spending their money elsewhere. Take Twenty20 cricket as an example. Something had to be done to save domestic cricket, especially in the UK, and this new and improved format is bringing kids back to the sport.
The future of Formula 1 depends on the public, the kids; not Ferrari, Marlboro or other big business. Because if people aren't watching and buying merchandise, then the sponsors will soon disappear...something Mr Ecclestone would do well to remember before making comments like these...
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