Ecclestone Continues Fight with the FOTA

Although the Formula One Teams Association publicly criticized the FIA for not discussing the introduction of voluntary budget capping before ratifying it for the 2010 season, F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone insisted such a measure was necessary in order to further reduce costs inside the sport.

The 78-year old Englishman argued that the cost reduction within teams' budgets for 2009 – presumably around 50% – was not enough to secure financial equity between the teams. However, while setting a reasonable £30 million budget cap per season, and also ensuring total technical freedom for those submitting to the offer, the FIA would create a much more equal field.

“These guys [the teams] say they have reduced their budgets by 50 percent. Fine, but the guy who was spending 300 million will now spend 150 million, and the guy spending 80 million dollars will spend 40 million dollars. There has always been that gap difference,” argued Ecclestone during a press conference on Wednesday.

“We are going to restrict teams that want to be covered by that cap to 30 million pounds, but we are going to try to help them with technical advantages. Then some of the big teams will ask why they are spending 300 million,” added the F1 supreme.

While admitting “30 million is a bit too low”, Ecclestone insisted that most F1 manufacturers will get used to it in the same way they've gotten used to all the other changes implemented through the past years.

“Any time we make any changes, there are a whole bunch of people who say, 'forget it, it won't happen. When we had two races engines, everyone said you can't do it because the teams won't finish races. Everything that is proposed, the teams always say forget it - it is just par for the course,” concluded Ecclestone.