Bernie Ecclestone has reiterated he will not help the smaller teams in Formula One survive. He argues outfits such as Lotus, Caterham, Sauber and Force India should spend less money if they wish to avoid the fate of the now defunct Marussia team.
However, when the best teams receive far higher investment from F1 authorities than their smaller rivals, it allows the gap between the best and the rest to grow relentlessly. This has had a hugely detrimental impact on the level of competitiveness within the sport. During the past five seasons only one driver (Kimi Raikkonen, twice) has won a Grand Prix in a car that wasn’t a Ferrari, a Red Bull, a Williams or a Mercedes. Another example of this set-up is found in La Liga, where Barcelona and Real Madrid benefit from a similar distribution of funds.
The extra money at the top may make sport appear more glamorous (it certainly does in view of the acquisition of players in Spain), but it sets a dangerous trend that often leads to teams operating monopolies on sport’s biggest trophies.
Last week Bernie Ecclestone also spoke about his conviction he would happily disregard the younger fans in order to appeal to wealthy older viewers. The F1 boss has always been driven by profit but his blinkered outlook is increasingly reminiscent of Fifa president Sepp Blatter as both men choose to stick their heads in the sand rather than address their sport’s mounting problems.
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