Ecclestone aims fire at Liberty, Ferrari

Bernie Ecclestone has aimed fire at both F1 owner Liberty Media and the sport’s most famous team Ferrari.

2017 was the 87-year-old’s first full season without an operational role in the sport, having been ousted by Liberty Media after the American company’s takeover.

Liberty is currently consulting with manufacturers about the engine rules for 2021, but Ecclestone said the only way to run the sport is as a dictator.

"Democracy has no place in formula one," he said, as veteran F1 correspondent Roger Benoit visited Ecclestone at his coffee plantation in Brazil.

"The new owners will soon realise this, because so far they have achieved nothing," Ecclestone told Sonntagsblick newspaper.

He also slammed Ferrari, after the fabled Maranello marque threatened to quit F1 over Liberty’s engine and budget cap plans.

"That old game," Ecclestone said. "If they don’t win, there is usually panic.

"Max Mosley and I could write a long list of all the times we helped Ferrari, but they always deny it."