5 Questions Formula 1 Fans Would Love to Ask Bernie Ecclestone

Imagine you got stuck in a lift with Bernie Ecclestone—what questions would you ask him?

A request for some free money or the hand of one of his daughters might rank quite highly for some. Perhaps you might ask for his secret stash of eternal energy and motivation or pry into the details of one of his court cases.

But followers of Formula One would probably be more interested in asking the commercial rights chief about the sport he has presided over since before some of the current drivers were born.

What are his plans for the future? How exactly does the revenue distribution system work? Does he still care about F1 as a sport, or is it all about the business these days?

Here are a few to start with.

What Is Your Long-Term Plan for the Grid?

Michael Cooper/Getty Images

The bigger teams hold a special place in Ecclestone's heart. The revenue model proves this, as does the existence of the Strategy Group, not to mention the man's own words.

The smaller teams don't matter as much. The Telegraph's Daniel Johnson reported, in the aftermath of the collapse of Caterham and Marussia, that Ecclestone didn't mind if Lotus, Force India and Sauber left, too.

The F1 boss was also quoted by Autosport, saying: "It's always been on the cards that if we lose up to three teams then the other teams will run three cars. I think we should do it anyway. I would rather see Ferrari with three cars, or any of the other top teams with three cars, than having teams that are struggling."

Not everyone agrees. Sky Sports commentator and expert Martin Brundle was a leader of the opposition, saying: "I don’t like the idea of three-car teams. I would much prefer there are 12 strong two-car teams."

The revenue F1 produces could easily support the 12 two-car teams Brundle speaks of. But that doesn't seem likely to happen, and further collapses remain a very real possibility.

Fans want to know what the future holds. Is it a grid filled with six or seven larger teams, each running three cars? If so, what happens when one of them gets sick of being last and leaves—and where does it end?

Five teams with four cars? Four teams with five cars? Twenty Ferraris?

Ecclestone has more influence over what happens than anyone. What exactly is the favoured end-game here, Bernie?

How Exactly Does the Revenue-Sharing Model Work?

Clive Mason/Getty Images

Much of what we know about the way F1's revenues are split is through educated guesswork. The way it works is governed by a series of bilateral agreements between Ecclestone and the teams, which are kept strictly confidential.

Those with plenty of "feelers" inside the sport can come up with figures that are very likely to be accurate—Joe Saward's diagram stands as the best example to date.

But even the author of that—one of the most well-connected journalists in the paddock—cannot be sure every bit is 100 percent correct.

The general public does not have the right to every piece of information in the world. But fans of F1 do have the right to know which teams get how much of an advantage before a single wheel has been turned.

Only one person has the political power to get all the details into the public domain.

So Bernie—how about it?

What's Your Long-Term Plan for the Fanbase?

Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Formula One's recent trend has been towards exclusivity. F1Fanatic's data shows pay-TV networks hold sole rights to all or part of the sport's broadcasting in key markets, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and France.

The reason is simple—these networks will pay more for the rights than their free-to-air rivals. But it doesn't seem to be the best option for safeguarding F1's future.

Less-well-off fans are being priced out of watching. Potential new fans are shut out because pay-TV has a smaller audience, and that audience is less likely to "stumble upon" an F1 broadcast buried on a specialist channel.

Formula One Management guards its intellectual property with the vigour of a thousand bulldogs and refuses to make anything more than a snippet available to social media sites. They make no YouTube highlights, Vines or Facebook videos for fans to share with friends—friends who might have thought "Wow!" and tuned in to the next race.

Sooner or later, the viewing numbers could collapse as old fans are not replaced by new ones. If this happens, the prices F1 can command from broadcasters will collapse, too, and that means a reduction in income for the sport.

So Bernie, what's the long-term plan to stop this from happening? Do you even have one?

Do you, CVC and the other commercial rights holders even care, or is it all about taking as much money out of the sport as possible in the short term—and to hell with the future?

Do You Still Care About Formula 1 as a Sport?

Associated Press

Nelson Piquet, 1981 champion driving for Ecclestone's Brabham.

Formula One is primarily two things. First, it's a sport, regardless of what the Indian government thinks. And second, it's a business that generates large quantities of money.

Or is it first a business and second a sport?

There's a battle going on. The extreme of the sporting side wishes to see "pure" racing between the top drivers on the best circuits in the world—preferably with grandstands full of racing fanatics watching their favourite sport.

The extreme business side wants to see profitable racing between whoever happens to be at the front at the circuits that pay the most for the privilege. The number of fans present doesn't really matter, as long as the circuit can pay the hosting fee.

The sporting side wants to reach fans. The business side wants to reach wealthy fans.

We know Ecclestone has great interest in the business side of things, but does he still care about the sport, too? In his heart, is he still the racing guy who entered two grands prix in a short driving career and managed Brabham back to glory?

Or has the allure of money—seemingly always present—taken over entirely?

Do You Have Any Plans for a Successor?

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Ecclestone at the Circuit of the Americas.

The average 84-year-old doesn't have much interest in the workplace. In all likelihood, he left that world behind around 20 years earlier and is now enjoying a well-earned retirement.

Bernie Ecclestone is far from the average 84-year-old. He passed the retirement age in his homeland back in 1995 but still has the verve and zest of a man half his age. Reuters reported that he had the flu at the United States Grand Prix, but there he was, in the paddock as usual, doing what he does best.

It's tempting to think that he will always be here in one form or another. The thought of a brain in a jar being carried around the paddock by a flunky, beaming orders directly into the minds of his minions, doesn't sound too far-fetched when we consider the subject.

Or perhaps he could upload his mind into a robotic body—such technology may exist sooner or later.

But for now, it's science fiction, and we must remain realistic. In the current era, no one lasts forever, and at some point a new face will need to take the reins.

That someone will need a working knowledge of the incredibly complex web of deals, contracts and agreements Ecclestone has weaved—and should really have started his or her apprenticeship already.

Have they? Has such a person been identified?

Or is the plan to leave no successor?

What Would You Ask?

Okay, I'd ask him for some free money, too.

What would your questions be for Ecclestone? Feel free to comment below, and if ever I find myself stuck in a lift—or a revolving door—with the great man, I'll be sure to ask.

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