From GMM
Because he is unable to tweak the current technical rulebook, Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said that the switch to ‘democracy’ has been at the cost of ‘entertainment’. "Would I like to change something? I would like to change a lot of things!" he told the French broadcaster Canal+. Ecclestone, 84, thinks the 'power unit' era is too technically complex, having been designed to give car manufacturers a road-relevant challenge. But the Briton insists: "We are in the entertainment business. We need to entertain the public." Ecclestone is scathing of the current governance structure, where proposed rule changes must pass through various processes, usually with the widespread approval of the various stakeholders. "Before, there was no democracy," he recalled. "I would talk to Mr (Enzo) Ferrari or (Colin) Chapman and we agreed to do something. "Now with Jean Todt it is very democratic. He wants to please everyone. And when you have competitive teams, it is impossible to keep everybody happy. "I can understand that Mercedes doesn't want to change -- in their place I would also want to leave it alone. "What I should be able to say is 'Here are the rules. If you want to participate, great, if not, go away'. No matter what sort of team it is -- bye!" Drivers are boring today During that same interview, Ecclestone traced the birth of the blander 'modern driver' back to the great seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher. "I have to be careful with my words. The only great personality now is Lewis Hamilton,” he said. "Yesterday, I spoke with Nico Rosberg," Ecclestone said during an interview with former F1 driver Jean Alesi. "Drivers can no longer express their thoughts as openly as you did. You could say anything without thinking if it was going to upset someone. But at least we knew what you thought! "Things began to change in the era of Michael Schumacher," said Ecclestone. "Because he didn't want to give interviews, he recorded something. I don't blame him, because nobody asks good questions -- it's always the same banal stuff."
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