Bernie Ecclestone has said he would like to regain control of F1 in partnership with leading teams such as Ferrari, even as he prepares to step back from the day-to-day running of the sport.
Asked if he wanted to buy up stakes if they became available or even take over the whole of the F1 business, Mr Ecclestone, who retains a 5 per cent stake, said: “We’d certainly want control.”
He said he wanted to revive a plan drawn up some years ago for him and the teams to become controlling shareholders of F1. “I’d like to see if we could get back to that,” said Mr Ecclestone.
In terms of his day-to-day role, the 83-year-old F1 chief executive, facing trial on bribery charges later this month in Munich, said he had identified two or three people to take over some of his responsibilities, though he declined to name them.
Expressing confidence in an acquittal, Mr Ecclestone said in an interview: “I’d like to shift a lot of things that I currently do for other people to do, and perhaps look after the strategy a little bit more.”
The ownership of F1 is in flux, amid suggestions that alegacy stake held by Lehman Brothers and a Norges Bank Investment Management holding may be sold. John Malone, cable billionaire and chairman of Liberty Global and Liberty Media, has also shown interest in taking a F1 stake.
CVC Capital Partners, the leading shareholder with 35 per cent, has shelved its exit strategy plan of floating F1 because of uncertainty caused by Mr Ecclestone’s legal problems.
Mr Ecclestone held talks in London last week with Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo “about life in general”.
He added: “They’d like to see more or less what I think is the right way to go. They’re supportive of what I would like to see done with it [F1].”
A person with knowledge of the Ferrari strategy for F1 said the takeover idea was definitely an option, though it was not the only one. Ferrari would definitely want a say in the future of F1, the person said.
Further talks between the F1 chief executive and Mr Montezemolo took place in Bahrain, along with Jean Todt, president of the governing body Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, about the state of F1.
Controversial rule changes for this season, including the introduction of new fuel-efficient engines, have been heavily criticised by promoters and fans.
Mr Ecclestone’s trial begins on April 24. He will attend court two days a week, enabling him to continue to attend Grand Prix.
The trial had given him “a bit of jolt” but he said he had not given a thought to the idea of being convicted and ending up in jail.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been scared of anything ... And I don’t worry about anything,” he said.
He is charged with bribery and aiding and abetting breach of trust. The case arises from the conviction in 2012 on corruption charges of Gerhard Gribkowsky, a German banker, who was a key figure in the 2005-06 sale of BayernLB’s F1 stake to CVC.
Mr Gribkowsky was found to have accepted payments totalling $44m from the F1 chief executive and Bambino, an Ecclestone family trust.
Mr Ecclestone denies the charges, saying the money was paid because the former banker was threatening to expose his tax affairs.