Roll up Roll up all welcome if you pay entry fee.

[sportsman]

This is either a typical Bernie negotiating, b Bernie has finally made enough money to pack it all in.
c.Bernie has lost his marbles (unlikely

BERNIE ECCLESTONE is considering charging teams an entry fee to race in Formula One.

The teams are negotiating with F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone over the terms of the Concorde Agreement, which commits them to race and specifies that they share 50 per cent of the sport’s profits as prize money.
The teams are believed to want 75 per cent, but Ecclestone is unlikely to give ground. He told the Daily Express that, in fact, his business could get a boost if no new contract is signed.
“I don’t even care if we don’t have a Concorde Agreement. It makes no difference to us,” he said. “What we might do is run the championship and ask the teams for money to enter.”
Ecclestone’s business levies no charge on the teams to race in F1 and their only direct costs of getting a grid slot are registration and entry fees, which come to about £500,000 per outfit – which are paid to the sport’s governing body the FIA, not to Ecclestone’s company CVC, where he is chief executive officer.

Read more: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/248685/Bernie-Ecclestone-s-back-on-the-chargeBernie-Ecclestone-s-back-on-the-charge#ixzz1NLqe65bV
)

 

[Brogan]

FOTA have the means to go it alone.

They don't have to abide by this dictator's demands.

 

[sportsman]

My take on this.CVC have repaid the original debt they incurred to buy the commercial rights of F1.They have also made a huge profit already.
Bernie has decided to tear F1 apart so as to leave nothing for anyone else to pick up.
If FOTA or anyone else starts a rival series go it alone they have to start from scratch

 

[FB]

It's all posturing. Bernie love brinkmanship and he knows the teams will cave, because they always do. Bernie needs the teams, the teams need Bernie. Both will play these games until Bernie give a bit more - the only thing is the more the teams demand the more he will make them go to fly away races as these pay the largest fees and Bernie/CVC can keep a stable income. Bad news for GP's in Europe.

 

[MCLS]

C happened a long time ago sportsman In relation to the post, it seems like Bernie is after more money but controlling the teams on a strong leash

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

FOTA have the means to go it alone.
They don't have to abide by this dictator's demands.

They might have the means but do they have the wherewithall? (if you know what I mean)
In answer to the original question, I think it's pretty obviously (a)

 

[Fenderman]

That old addage "Every dog has its day" springs to mind. Bernie needs to look at the back of the grid and his wee clutch of newbies and then consider this: The main players have the brass in terms of technical expertise and experience. There are entrepreneurs and deal makers aplenty who would love to play a part in setting up a new series so a breakaway is not necessarily such a risk to the teams. Trying to keep F1 going with a rump of teams (if any) that don't jump ship and the tortoises at the rear would be much more difficult.

The teams sponsors will also be well aware of who we - supporters, followers and fans - are watching and why, so their money would I feel follow a breakaway. It would not surprise me if the sponsors are also getting pretty fed up with this gamesmanship as well as somewhat concerned about the idea of more of their cash being diverted into increasing BE's bank balance as opposed to funding the participants. Not forgetting the industry surroundng the teams with all the merchandising, etc. It is easy to forget that F1 is so much bigger than Bernie and perhaps he should remember that.