Former Formula 1 managing director Bernie Ecclestone harshly criticized the circumstances of the title decision on Sunday and emphasized that the sport itself was taking a back seat as a result.
“It is a disaster for Formula 1. The sport is suffering from the fact that it is no longer just about pure competition, but only about the interest of a few individuals,” said the 91-year-old in an interview with the media group “Münchner Merkur tz “. It was “a joke” that one could hear live how team bosses “try to influence the decisions of the race management during a race”.
The “great sport that Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton offered is therefore completely lost,” said Ecclestone. “It’s a shame.” The new world champion Verstappen had only secured the title in the last few meters with an overtaking maneuver. This was preceded by a controversial safety car phase in terms of its implementation. Hamilton’s defeated Mercedes racing team had filed two protests, both of which were dismissed. Verstappen had to wait over four hours for the official result.
All the stops were pulled to unsettle Max.
BERNIE ECCLESTONE
The Dutchman is a deserved world champion, said Ecclestone. “Absolutely. At a young age he prevailed against Lewis Hamilton, one of the best drivers of all time. And not just on the track.” The Mercedes team “pulled out all the stops, including in the media, to unsettle Max,” said the former F1 boss. “You can almost talk of bullying. In addition: Mercedes had the faster car over the year, so they won the constructor title relatively superior. That enhances Max’s driver title again. Because it shows that he is the driver could make the difference. ”
He couldn’t understand the protest from the Mercedes warehouse, said Ecclestone: “They probably build the best cars in the world. But the star gets immense scratches as a result of the protest.”