POLE POSITION: 'The new races in America are mad, not pure 決まり文句／製法 One. They follow Netflix too much': Bernie Ecclestone's still going strong at 92... and ex-F1 supremo is as outspoken as ever!

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We spoke to Bernie Ecclestone packing for his next trip. He was en 大勝する from Ibiza to the place he now calls home, Gstaad, Switzerland.

London in many ways is still his truest habitat, and always will be, and he’ll be 支援する, but he is 限られた／立憲的な for 税金 推論する／理由s to 90 days a year on the terra firma where he made his 指名する and his fortune, and created modern 決まり文句／製法 One.

‘I thought the only time I’d leave would be in a 棺,’ says Ecclestone, 93 next month, who moved away on a 半分- 永久の basis during Covid. He is also conscious of where his 46-year-old Brazilian wife Fabiana wants to be, along with their son エース, Alexander Charles Ecclestone, 老年の three. The little one is fluent in English and Portuguese, and is learning German.

I ask if we can do a bit of work ― to discuss 決まり文句／製法 One, a 小旅行する d’horizon of the sport he was 伴う／関わるd in all his life. ‘Whatever you want,’ he says.

On owners Liberty マスコミ: ‘My opinion is that 18 races is enough. We did 20 and I often thought that that was a bit too much. Because you have to think of the teams. Before long, they will have to 雇う 二塁打 staff. With 22 or 23 races there will be too many 離婚s. It is a 事柄 of when.

Bernie Ecclestone says there should be 18 prestigious races on the F1 calendar

Former F1 supremo?Ecclestone has 発言する／表明するd 関心s about the races in America

星／主役にするs Tom 巡航する and Shakira on the starting grid at the?Miami Grand Prix this year

‘I can understand the 商業の people because they can say they are 調印 long-time 協定s and that 明らかに makes the company they work for a lot more money. They can say they have 10-year 契約s or whatever. So what they are doing is 100 per cent 権利 for them at the moment commercially.

‘But without any 影をつくる／尾行する of a 疑問 I would stick to 18 prestigious races. That’s because we don’t know, however long-称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語 the 契約s are on paper. We don’t know whether they will suddenly decide that it isn’t working too 井戸／弁護士席 and stop.

‘Singapore were about to stop. They phoned me and asked me what I thought. I said they should see how it all 作品 out but don’t stop now. I moved it from 18 to 20. I don’t want to make excuses for myself, but that was at a time we were moving it out of Europe to the 残り／休憩（する） of the world.’

On his 後継者 but one, Stefano Domenicali: ‘Stefano called me when he got the 職業. I told him that when I was running it as 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のある that I made the calls. Nobody from CVC (the 私的な 公正，普通株主権 会社／堅い who owned F1) ever complained about that ― they let me get on with what I thought was best at the time. I don’t know what Stefano’s position is. I think he is a little bit more aware of what the people in America think (F1 存在 owned by US 複合的な／複合企業体 Liberty マスコミ).?

‘I think you can see that with the races in America that they are doing ― which I think is 完全に mad. The one in Miami ― the way they ran that was mad, trying to be American rather than the way I did it, which was trying to be pure 決まり文句／製法 One as it was, rather than as it could be.

‘Maybe they are 完全に 権利; maybe I was wrong trying to keep it more 決まり文句／製法 One. I watc h every practice 開会／開廷／会期 and every race and I look and I think, “My God are we trying to show 決まり文句／製法 One or are we trying to show other things?”

‘Netflix has 逮捕（する）d them a little bit and they follow that a bit too much. Netflix is in the entertainment 商売／仕事 as long as it 控訴s them. It’s not like our old 放送者s who have been with us for ever.’

On the best driver he has seen: ‘Max is the best driver ever. No 疑問s. I used to say Alain Prost. Now I would say Max. He’s the greatest. He is brightest with regards to getting the best out of the car. He doesn’t muck around. He gets 権利 on the programme. In my 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） he is above 吊りくさび Hamilton.

‘吊りくさび is 明白に 最高の-最高の 有望な, 最高の-最高の talented. 吊りくさび understands people and gets the best out of them, 反して Max gets the best out of the car. He’s very different from Max. When 吊りくさび stops racing, he can get into a different world ― entertainment or whatever ― but that won’t be the way Max could go.

‘I’ll tell you Max is one of us. In our sphere of 決まり文句／製法 One nobody is like 吊りくさび, nobody is. I think in the 早期に days he was a bit different from other people. At school, I was a bit under-sized, so it is a bit different, too. As it was with 吊りくさび. He had his dad’s support.

Ecclestone （人命などを）奪う，主張するs 統治するing world 支持する／優勝者?Max Verstappen (above) is the 'best driver ever'

‘When you are a little undersized, or whatever, you have to have a bit to look after yourself. You have to be a 闘士，戦闘機, perhaps. You see that a lot in 商売／仕事 一般に.’

On 吊りくさび Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate George Russell: ‘I can’t （不足などを）補う my mind about him. I like him. He is 最高の-talented.

‘It is a 事柄 of what he is 用意が出来ている to do to 勝利，勝つ. He was hoping Carlos (Sainz) would run out of road at the last race. He was 押し進めるing very, very hard. I don’t think he thinks his race through, something 吊りくさび does do.

‘If I were a team owner, I think I’d get 持つ／拘留する of the Australian kid (McLaren’s Oscar Piastri). He’s very good. But Max is the best I have ever seen.’