Ecclestone: Manor F1 had “no intention of racing”
For Bernie Ecclestone, the Manor team had no intention of racing in Australia and will have to pay for the freight.
Saved at the last minute by British investors, Manor did not participate in the pre-season private tests and raced against time to get to Melbourne. Alas, despite their presence in the Australian paddock, the red and white single-seaters did not complete a single lap.
This absence was the subject of an investigation by the FIA stewards who did not deem it necessary to sanction the team, which, according to them, did everything possible to participate.
But, on the side of Bernie Ecclestone, the president of the Formula One Group, this analysis is not shared and Manor should not have even been present. “We should never, ever have allowed Manor to do what they did. It’s our fault. I had predicted that,” he stated to Reuters. “They had no intention of racing in Australia. Zero. They couldn’t have raced even if someone had a gun to their head. It was impossible. So, they had no intention.”
Ecclestone believes that the British team will have to pay for the freight to and from Australia themselves: « They are not racing, so they will have to pay for it. » Formula 1 normally covers these expenses.
This first decision comes as the Briton has already paid $10 million to the team after its rescue, according to Adam Cooper. Seeing how the weekend was unfolding, Ecclestone reportedly got angry with investors Stephen Fitzpatrick and Justin King.
He has already suggested that a fourth non-participation – the three in 2014 plus one this season – would cause the loss of the structure. Indeed, it appears that the possibility of missing three races does apply to the contract binding the team to F1 and would therefore not be appreciated for each season. The FIA, with its decision recognizing Manor’s participation, has undoubtedly helped avoid such a situation. In the meantime, waiting for Malaysia…
