MARCH 9, 2005

Ecclestone claims Red Bull and Jordan

Bernie Ecclestone says that he has three teams "signed up" to the new Concorde Agreement. The remarks, made in the German newspaper "Welt Am Sonntag", are aimed at underlining the fact that there is a split in the sport and can only be Red Bull Racing and Jordan, as all the other teams have announced that they are currently supporting the car manufacturers in their efforts to build a rival series. While it may be true, it really makes very little sense for either of the teams to have agreed a deal with Ecclestone. Jordan is obviously in the weakest position as it has agreed a deal to use Ferrari V8 engines next year and part of that deal is almost certainly to support Ferrari in political matters. Sauber has had a similar deal for some years but has now decided that it wants to have a political voice of its own.

The interview also suggested that the manufacturers should have bought the 75% shareholding from the banks involved in the sport because it would have been a cheaper route than doing their own thing.