FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[RichieRooster]

I thought the lack of fans in attendance in Germany last week was massively disappointing. I think FOM need to consider one big factor...cost. F! isn't far of pricing itself out of its own market. For a family to go to a Grand Prix weekend is a very dear weekend...just for the race ticket. Throw in food & drink costs (which is high at the circuits), transport to/from and accommodation, and for many people its cheaper to fly half way round the world on holiday for a fortnight!!
The only thing F1 did to change the Grand Prix experience recently was that it became much, much quieter. And that quietness is shown up at races with GP2 support. (I know, I was at Barcelona). So we don't need to bring back Briatore, or kick the teams asses, what we need is 2 things
1) More financially accessible GP weekends so people can actually afford to go
2) Get these extremely clever engineers to find a way to get more noise from these power units to give us something to really hear when we fork out our cash and go!!

[stonemonkey]

Maybe this'll give Bernie an idea.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-28484536

[LRW]

Typical Bernie.....

http://www.forbes.com/sites/csylt/2014/07/29/ecclestone-makes-second-offer-of-40-million-to-end-his-corruption-trial/

Lawyers for Formula One’s chief executive Bernie Ecclestone today offered to pay $41.4 million to put the brakes on the bribery trial against him in Germany.

It is the second time that the F1 boss has made this offer as Britain’s Independent newspaper revealed in June that he offered the same amount in a bid to prevent him from bring charged. The first offer was declined and discussions about the second one are currently underway.

Prosecutors have accused Mr Ecclestone and his Bambino family trust of paying a $44 million bribe to Gerhard Gribkowsky, the former chief risk officer at German bank BayernLB. They claim that the bribe was paid so that Mr Gribkowsky would steer F1 to Mr Ecclestone’s preferred buyer, the private equity firm CVC, when the race series was sold in 2006. The prosecutors believe that the bribe was funded with a commission which Mr Ecclestone received from BayernLB for helping to put the deal through.

The commission came to 5% of the sale price giving Mr Ecclestone $41.4 million. The prosecutors believe that BayernLB lost out by making the payment as it was used to compensate a bribe.

Mr Ecclestone denies the charges and says he paid Mr Gribkowsky to stop him carrying out insinuations that he would make unfounded allegations about his tax affairs. Mr Ecclestone adds that the $41.4 million payment was entirely legitimate and he revealed to the Daily Telegraph newspaper in October 2012 that it was given in return for him providing a $100 million guarantee that F1 would not collapse.

The trial against Mr Ecclestone began in April and his lawyers said on Tuesday that although the allegations against him are “highly questionable,” and no damage was caused to BayernLB, the 83-year-old wishes to end the case as it has become “extremely burdensome.”

In June he told the Independent “I don’t know why I offered to pay back the commission. Early on we said [we will do it] if that is what is necessary to get this rubbish out of the way. I didn’t say we would pay it back. I said we will pay some back. One of our lawyers spoke to them and they thought 5% was too much and it should have been 2.5%.”

The indictment states that “through the legal document dated 23 July 2012 it was communicated that the defence for the Accused – whilst maintaining its own point of view – had made an offer to BayernLB to pay back the amount received at the time as a commission including interest.”

BayernLB declined the offer and in May 2013 Mr Ecclestone was charged. He did not admit any guilt by making the offer and did not do this to absolve himself but to avoid the hassle of a trial which he now has to attend for several days each week. As the Independent revealed in March, it only takes place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to allow Mr Ecclestone to run F1 at the same time.

The possibility of a settlement being paid to stop the trial was first revealed by Britain’s Mail on Sunday newspaper in January when court spokeswoman Margarete Noetzel said that “according to German legal procedure, there is the possibility during the trial to stop the proceedings in return for payment of an agreed sum of money to a charitable institution or the treasury, if the accused, the public prosecutors and also the court agrees with it.”

Mr Ecclestone’s latest offer is understood to expire on 8 August and the scheduled hearings tomorrow have been cancelled as the settlement discussions continue. Ms Noetzel said it is not clear when the talks will come to a conclusion but the hearings are due to resume as usual on Tuesday next week.


If Mr Ecclestone is found guilty the penalty could be up to ten years in prison but there is more at stake than his freedom. Following the announcement about the trial he resigned from the board of F1’s parent company Delta Topco although he will continue to run the sport on a day to day basis. He insists that he will return to the board once the trial is over but in November CVC co-founder Donald Mackenzie said “if it is proven that Mr Ecclestone has done anything that is criminally wrong, we would fire him.”

[What's Burning?]

So he's willing to pay 41.4 million not to absolve himself of guilt, but just so that he doesn't have to show up there a few days a weeks for the next few weeks.

[1Lemon]

Why can a sport with the money, wealth, power and pull of Formula 1 not get rid of the damn poison dwarf that is killing our sport and kicking us right in the wallet whilst he's at it! It's wrong and he needs to go, now.

Bring in Alan Gow is all I can say!

[Hammer278]

He ain't that bad.

Ecclestone against standing starts

Bernie Ecclestone has called for standing starts after safety cars to be dropped for 2015, just one month after they were confirmed in next year's regulations by the FIA.

In order to spice up the show, the FIA agreed to a suggestion that the cars should start from the grid after each safety car period. The rule has been met with a mixed response from drivers but, according to FIA race director Charlie Whiting, had strong backing from the teams.

However, Ecclestone has now called for the rule to be dropped, saying the rolling starts in Sunday's dramatic Hungarian Grand Prix were "good enough".

"There'll be no standing starts after safety cars," he told Auto Motor und Sport. "What we had in Budapest was good enough."

Ecclestone also contradicted reports over the weekend that said Flavio Briatore would be brought in to head up a strategy group to make Formula One more popular.

"We don't need Flavio," he added. "We can do it ourselves."

____________________________________________________

Hope he makes a stand on this and kills it with immediate effect.

[1Lemon]

How long until he instigates a safety car that sprays water behind it to make the track wet, and then instigates a 50% points bonus on races where the wet safety car was used!

[darwin dali]

How long until he instigates a safety car that sprays water behind it to make the track wet, and then instigates a 50% points bonus on races where the wet safety car was used!

Now there's an idea!

[What's Burning?]

How many medals did Vettel lose out on because Bernie's ideas weren't taken seriously ...sigh.

[LewEngBridewell]

He ain't that bad.

Ecclestone against standing starts

Bernie Ecclestone has called for standing starts after safety cars to be dropped for 2015, just one month after they were confirmed in next year's regulations by the FIA.

In order to spice up the show, the FIA agreed to a suggestion that the cars should start from the grid after each safety car period. The rule has been met with a mixed response from drivers but, according to FIA race director Charlie Whiting, had strong backing from the teams.

However, Ecclestone has now called for the rule to be dropped, saying the rolling starts in Sunday's dramatic Hungarian Grand Prix were "good enough".

"There'll be no standing starts after safety cars," he told Auto Motor und Sport. "What we had in Budapest was good enough."

Ecclestone also contradicted reports over the weekend that said Flavio Briatore would be brought in to head up a strategy group to make Formula One more popular.

"We don't need Flavio," he added. "We can do it ourselves."

____________________________________________________

Hope he makes a stand on this and kills it with immediate effect.

Wow, this seems too good to be true! Is the article genuine? Is he likely to sway things his way?!?!?

[LewEngBridewell]

Yep, here's another quote from him:

"There just shouldn't be the stupid and unnecessary rules that we've put in over the years," Ecclestone said. "I want a world championship of drivers, not engineers. We have already told the stewards that they should not punish every little thing. I want drivers who race each other rather than constantly ask what they can and cannot do."

The biggest news on Tuesday is that one rule already printed in black and white in the 2015 regulations looks set to be axed.

"There will be no standing starts after safety cars," announced the diminutive Briton. "What we saw in Budapest was good enough." - See more at: http://autoweek.com/article/formula-one ... VThCq.dpuf

[What's Burning?]

Are we sure this little troll isn't a forum member? He reminds me of so many contributors of Christmas past.

"We just want to operate fine tuning," he went on to explain. "All the stupid and unnecessary rules that have been added in recent years, it should be no more. I want a World Championship of drivers, not of engineers."

[darwin dali]

F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone "is reportedly offering $100M to settle the bribery case against him," according to Klaus Ott of SÜDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG. Ecclestone, accompanied by his lawyers, "negotiated this deal in person with the prosecution on Friday." Neither the defense nor prosecution "commented on the reported deal." Prosecutors have reportedly asked for a payment of €100M ($134M), which "was too much for Ecclestone." The prosecution and Ecclestone "reached a compromise and simply changed the euro symbol into a dollar symbol." Should the court approve this settlement, Ecclestone "would not be sentenced and most likely would stay on as F1 CEO." It is expected that the Munich court "will agree to the deal" (SZ, 8/1). The AFP reported the settlement has been welcomed by Mercedes F1 team Non-Exec President Niki Lauda. The former F1 world champion said that it would be a "disaster" if Ecclestone were to lose control. He said, "He is the only one who knows everything -- the business, teams' problems. He has everything in his head. He is the link between the teams and the investors" (AFP, 8/3). The PA's Ian Parkes reported with the trial running for just more than three months, on Tuesday it "was halted" after Ecclestone, 83, "reportedly offered to pay a substantial sum of money" to BayernLB in return for the charges being dropped. Under Bavarian state law, a trial of the nature of Ecclestone’s "can be concluded if the accused makes a payment to a non-profit making organisation, or the treasury." Such an offer "does not imply any guilt on behalf of the accused"



Bottom line: it pays to be filthy rich

[spankyham]

How long until he instigates a safety car that sprays water behind it to make the track wet, and then instigates a 50% points bonus on races where the wet safety car was used!

We've found a replacement for Bernie

[Jabberwocky]

F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone "is reportedly offering $100M to settle the bribery case against him," according to Klaus Ott of SÜDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG. Ecclestone, accompanied by his lawyers, "negotiated this deal in person with the prosecution on Friday." Neither the defense nor prosecution "commented on the reported deal." Prosecutors have reportedly asked for a payment of €100M ($134M), which "was too much for Ecclestone." The prosecution and Ecclestone "reached a compromise and simply changed the euro symbol into a dollar symbol." Should the court approve this settlement, Ecclestone "would not be sentenced and most likely would stay on as F1 CEO." It is expected that the Munich court "will agree to the deal" (SZ, 8/1). The AFP reported the settlement has been welcomed by Mercedes F1 team Non-Exec President Niki Lauda. The former F1 world champion said that it would be a "disaster" if Ecclestone were to lose control. He said, "He is the only one who knows everything -- the business, teams' problems. He has everything in his head. He is the link between the teams and the investors" (AFP, 8/3). The PA's Ian Parkes reported with the trial running for just more than three months, on Tuesday it "was halted" after Ecclestone, 83, "reportedly offered to pay a substantial sum of money" to BayernLB in return for the charges being dropped. Under Bavarian state law, a trial of the nature of Ecclestone’s "can be concluded if the accused makes a payment to a non-profit making organisation, or the treasury." Such an offer "does not imply any guilt on behalf of the accused"



Bottom line: it pays to be filthy rich

I short he has seen which way the wind is blowing, and it was Rolf Harris blowing kisses at him.

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