“I don't want to personally describe what Max is, because in his private life we have already had a demonstration of what he is in the News of the World. If he is talking about lunatics and stuff like that, he needs to watch himself, just do the best job possible for him [and] the teams and not get personal. It's enough.

“We have tried to compromise [with Mosley]; we have opened the door, but we have had the door closed in our face. We have tried to make sure we race as F1 teams in a formula with one rule, but this has not been possible. This is the reason why we are not negotiating anymore with anybody.”

Ecclestone, meanwhile, has revealed his determination that after losing his wife due to his commitment to F1, he is 'sure as hell not going to let things disintegrate', insistent that the row can be satisfactorily resolved and that the breakaway threat can be quashed in time.

“I have given 35 years of my life and more to Formula 1,” the 78-year-old told British newspaper The Times. “My marriage broke up because of Formula 1, [so] I am sure as hell not going to let things disintegrate over what is, in the end, basically nothing. If you analyse all the problems, there aren't any that can't be easily solved.

“If [a breakaway] started, everybody would be suing everybody else and there would be no other series. There would be nothing. It would be finished – it would be a total disaster. Everyone would spend a fortune on lawyers and nothing will happen.”