Ecclestone : I’m afraid that Ferrari can live without F1

Ecclestone warned Liberty to take Ferrari’s threat to quit F1 after 2020 seriously.

"You didn’t have to take Luca di Montezemolo seriously, because motor sport was his life," he said.

"But Sergio (Marchionne) can live without F1. He is only interested in the business. If Marchionne doesn’t like what he sees, he will stop.

"I’m afraid that Ferrari can live without formula one, but not vice versa," Ecclestone concluded.

He applauded the fact that newly-released figures show that TV and spectator figures rose in 2017.

"The Ferrari against Mercedes duel mobilised the fans," Ecclestone said.

"I actually apologised to the promoters, because they paid for the old formula one and all they got was Mercedes winning. Now, they’re getting value for money again."

Asked why he thinks Ferrari is suddenly more competitive, the Briton answered: "They were smart enough to look at the other teams and bring on board good people.

"Mercedes supplies three teams. Whoever does what Mercedes is doing is successful," Ecclestone added.