From GMM
In a briefing with a select few British reporters, the F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone unveiled a few little known details about the future of Formula 1. Firstly, Ecclestone blames team McLaren if reigning formula one world champion Lewis Hamilton is not a "character". McLaren chief Ron Dennis prefers his employees all adhere to a company "brand" rather than display individuality. "The 'Jack the Lad' type of driver doesn't fit into the brand. There is just a way about them (McLaren people), isn't there? Ron doesn't want to breed individuals, anyone who stands out," said Ecclestone to the Mirror. He contrasts McLaren's featureless style to that of Ferrari, the Italian team who "let people do what they like". Then, Ecclestone admitted that there is no guarantee France will return to the formula one calendar in 2011. A layout at Flins-Les-Mureaux, northeast of Paris, is slated to be targeting a 2011 debut, with construction to shortly begin. But asked whether the project is the solution to the current absence of historic France from the calendar, F1's chief executive answered: "I don't know. There are still the protests of the nearby residents and the mayor," Ecclestone told the German news agency SID. "However the prime minister supports the project, which is very important," he added. Finally, the F1 supremo insisted that North America's absence from the formula one calendar is the teams' fault. "The teams wanted too much money to race there. That was the problem," the 78-year-old billionaire said in an interview with Germany's SID news agency. He suggests that, because the stumbling block is money, returning to North America is theoretically only a commercial matter. "We are talking," the Briton revealed, "but for the moment the teams do not want any more than 17 races." Ecclestone confirmed, however, that negotiations to reinstate the US grand prix at Indianapolis are not taking place. "We would go elsewhere," he said. Recent Articles
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