Ecclestone would sue the manufacturers

The great financier of Formula 1, Bernie Ecclestone, warned the manufacturers that he is ready to take legal action against them if they adopt an aggressive approach regarding their entry for 2010.

Tomorrow’s major event on Friday is the release of the 2010 team list. It could be the catalyst for obtaining breakthrough plans to move forward. Ecclestone claims he won’t hesitate for a second to take legal action if the manufacturers try to deceive the F1 world, such as television networks, staff, or sponsors.

« If they try to create their own series, I don’t think they will be able to do it, but there will be big problems coming for them, » said Ecclestone to the Daily Express.

« Outside of my contracts with the teams, if someone approached individuals, companies, or television networks for any contract, the situation is considered very serious. »

« This would be an incentive to breach contracts, and I would not let this happen. Any action could result in damages of several hundred million Pounds. »

Even though the latest news indicated that the negotiations were progressing quite positively, several people think that the manufacturers might launch their own series for next year. However, Ecclestone believes it would be too difficult for the teams to establish a championship in such a short time frame.

« I am not sure that the boards of teams like Toyota or BMW would fund their team within a series that is not the FIA F1 championship. It costs a lot of money to set up a series, » the Briton continued.

« Currently, we provide circuits free of charge to teams on which they race with all their sponsors in front of a huge television audience. »

He added: « The drivers want to win the FIA-organized Formula 1 World Championship. I don’t think they are ready to win a title that means less to them. »

« The teams had the opportunity to sign the Concorde Agreement in 1998 which protected them from technical changes by Max Mosley (President of the FIA), but they said no. »