‘Blame Canada’ for GP loss says Ecclestone
Sidestepping blame for the dropping of the Canadian Grand Prix, Bernie Ecclestone insists governments did not do enough to save the Montreal race.
Quoted by the French language La Presse, the F1 chief executive reportedly told Canadian radio that he made “great efforts” to keep the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve as an F1 venue in 2009 and beyond.
But the 78-year-old Briton claims that Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, who had been linked with the rescue efforts, agrees with him that the governments did not do enough.
“They said the race brings benefits to millions of people in Montreal but they were unable to organise it,” Ecclestone is quoted as saying.
He explained that Laliberte became involved in the efforts to save the race, but ultimately pulled out “because he thought the government was not doing enough”.
Ecclestone also said he was furious that Canadian officials leaked confidential details to the public, but refuses to rule out reinstating the race at some point in the future.
He said that while returning to Montreal will be “difficult”, he “never says never” to anything.
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No, I blame Bernie. He has a business model which requires people with whom he does business to operate at a loss. How does he even imagine that’s sustainable!
Couldn’t resist it… http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=66N6ifAFrFs&feature=related
Paul - I was hoping someone would get that
Bernie is heartless. Heartless. “Unable to organise it”? No, “unable to put up with Bernie’s nonsense”!
Isn’t this the same argument that Bernie uses for Britain and France? Does Bernie think that Motorsport Organisations have the kind of power needed to persuade governments to spend other people’s money on his hospitality and weekly whims about what makes a good racing circuit?
When is Bernie going to grow up and start living in the real world? Or rather, when are the Organisations going to bite the bullet and tell him to go away?
I think that will be the only way he will learn that his demands and high fees aren’t helping to build a good reputation for F1 anywhere in the world.
EF !!!! YOU BERNIE !!!!! I hope your ex-wife takes everything you have and you have to work as a crew member for Force India !
I don’t mind if some of our tax dollars are used to help fund the GP, even though I’m generally opposed to the idea of governements funding professional sports. But the amount Bernie was demanding is just outrageous. I’m actually kind of glad the deal fell apart.
Just another line of junk from Bernie, nothing we haven’t heard before in this situation, or in the cases of Indy/Silverstone/Magny Cours/Etc….
It’s very simple- Bernie thinks that no one else involved in running a Grand Prix is allowed to make a profit from the event, except….Formula One Management!!! He also thinks that the entire world will bow down to him and shell out his mega-prices for bringing the “World Championship” to anyone who will pay up. Bernie realised he coulden’t pull his government-funding line with Tony George and Damon Hill- so he tried it with the Canadians, and they refused to back down as well. Cheers to our friends up north for standing up to the big (well, er….little) bully, but it is tragic that the situation has come to this.
And as for the “difficulty” of returning the race to the schedule- all it takes is a swipe of Bernie’s pen to make it happen. He’s prepared to bail out China and continues to chase his projects in India, but spits in the face of those of us in North America. Sadly, I don;t know when we’ll see another event on our shores, but the hope will always be burning bright…