Ecclestone: F1 teams can do what they like.

i fail to understand BEs constant conflicting statements. who is he trying to placate?? MM, FIA, teams or fans. he is just creating more confusion.

Smoke and Mirrors! keep an eye on Bernie!

rich ... I think creating confusion could be the plan.
Using the media to stir up a fight, then apply "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" logic & take whichever side means the best deal for Bernie.

2-faced double cross strategy ... with a bluff or 2 thrown in at some point.

this sounds a move by BE to both appease the sponsors,teams & FIA members not happy over the MM vote.
Also i feel this is a barbed statement by BE to the FIA to get rid of MM & to set their house in order, or they will loose their biggest motor sport franchise F1.

Time will only tell if the FIA are going to rise to the bait...

This man is a genius, I'd like most politicians around the world would have a 10% of his intelligence.

F1 teams can do what they like.

Looks like they already do - I was just looking at my router log, I found a break-in attempt from 88.191.14.51. This address resolves to www.bricou.org. Point your browser there, pictures from F1 pitlane!

Earth to Bernie... There is more to racing than just the F1. FIA has memberclubs everywhere and from club series up to other international series. F1 does bring in the most cash but FIA can live without F1.

The most popular racing (I HATE to say) is NASCAR, are they FIA members? nope. F1 can live without FIA and FIA can live without F1. FIA is like GAAP in accounting, the generally accepted procedures of racing and guess what, insurnce companies like to see that.

Jayson, sure the FIA can live without F1, but that is where a lot of their money comes from, so it will hurt if there is a breakaway. F1 and live without the FIA too, but they will need someone to carry out that function.

There's nee a flurry of news around Bernie, and now two statements seem to have come from the same source. I think BE has really got himself on the rack this time, and he's probably working harder now than he has for a long time. He holds 100yr rights to F1, but has seriously annoyed MM as he thought he would go. Now the teams are muttering about a breakaway, which would reduce Bernies power, as the teams don't need him in that. A breakaway without Ferrari would still succeed: an F1 with Ferrari and some hastily promoted GP2 teams would be a nonsense. Bernie needs the Concorde as much as anyone. A contract between BMW, Mclaren, Honda and Toyota would be enough for a new series.

A curse on gremlins and typos. There has BEEN a flurry of news, and NO two statements seem to have come from the same source.

Renault and Ferrari wouldn't leave F1. Bernie wouldn't own rights to a breakaway, and he'd have to give much more to the teams if he did. Hence, if the four teams listed (and those they supply engines to by arm twisting) signed a contract ona breakaway, that would be enough to start one. Tracks would get better deals, and so would fans. Red Bull would need to make a decision as to where the grass is greener.

you have to love Bernie at times...tells the teams that this is their way out of things...gets a few rumours going about about teams and sponsors going elswhere and hey presto MM gets loads of pressure to get out of Dodge....if you cant vote him out, there is no doubt Bernie will find a way

Sheer genius! I don't particularly like the guy, although he's done wonders for F1. Now he's tryin to reap the fruits of his labours. By constantly conflicting his statements he'll create confussion among others, in the end he'll get what he wants, which is total control over every going on in F1, no FIA no nothing. He'll cause a partial dissipation of the FIA letting him govern "his sport" 100% on his own. This is an absolute masterstroke I'm telling you.

Jayson NASCAR are part of the FIA through their participation in ACCUS the United States national motor sport authority. Indeed NASCAR work quite closely with the FIA particularly on safety and technical matters.

Bernie has got himself in a mess. No one will join "his" breakaway and he is in danger of facing an alliance between the teams and the FIA. By starting a breakaway he would repudiate his 100 year agreement. This would enable the teams to do a deal directly with the FIA and take almost the entire F1 income.

The current silence from the FIA indicates that Max is fully aware of the position and is just waiting for Bernie to fall into the trap.

Crunch time is near! Politic's and dirty tricks. Who is the better player? Seem's like Bernie even thinks he's getting to old for this S H I T ! His feeble mind isn't keeping up with the BS.....or is he really clever 'Is he Mr Burns?' airxcellent.
Either way there will be cars racing on the track. There will always be a pinnacle motor racing series. There are quite a few car manufacturers that aren't in F1 that would be watching this saga unfold with interest. A breakaway series could give them a real opportunity to join the parade without the hoop jumping and padock favouritism that is currently the fray. A shake up is not always a bad thing.