Question: Should the race in Bahrain have been cancelled earlier, as many now suggest?
Bernie Ecclestone: No. That was not possible. Shortly before the crisis I had lunch with the Crown Prince (HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa) and there was absolutely no indication of what would come just days after. He was full of ideas for the future then shortly after the chain of events set in. There was almost no time to react. Of course we needed a decision by February 21, and that is what I told him. He asked what I would do if I were him, and I answered, ‘You are there. We in Europe are hardly in the situation to make a serious judgment of the conditions. Decide what is best for your country’. He then cancelled the race and I think it was the right decision. It was not an easy one, as it was Formula One that put Bahrain on the map. Before 2004 - when Formula One raced there for the first time - not many people knew Bahrain.
Question: Are there plans to reschedule the race?
Bernie Ecclestone: To do that the FIA has to change the calendar, and Bahrain has to apply for a new slot. The FIA World Council will meet at the beginning of March and could look into the situation. I have already spoken with FIA President Jean Todt about the possibility of finding a new date and we both agreed that a decision has to be made before the season starts.
Question: Let’s now focus on the sporting side of things and a question that’s puzzling many - can Michael Schumacher win again?
Bernie Ecclestone: I have not the slightest doubt about it. If he has a competitive car, he’s a title contender.
Question: In the history of Formula One racing there have been only two world champions - Niki Lauda and Alain Prost - who successfully came back and won the title again…
Bernie Ecclestone: There are differences. Niki had won two titles before he retired and Alain Prost three. Michael retired as a seven-time world champion. That’s a bit of another league. When Lauda returned it was with McLaren and Prost with Williams, which were both the top teams at that time and that was unfortunately not the case with Mercedes last season. Michael is still very motivated and his physical fitness is as good as in his heyday. When you talk to him you feel with every word and every gesture that he wants to win again - more than anything else. If Mercedes gives him a competitive car, he will win again.
Question: Is it that the level of competition Schumacher faces is much higher? Lauda and Prost didn’t have to compete with the likes of Vettel, Alonso, Hamilton, Button or Webber…
Bernie Ecclestone: That’s true. In the old days there weren’t so many A-list drivers on the grid. In those days you had a maximum of three drivers eligible for the title and only two teams. It was either McLaren racing against Ferrari, or Williams against Ferrari or Williams against McLaren, but that was it. Today we have four, probably even five teams able to win races. That means that eight or nine guys are fighting for the top spot on the podium. Unfortunately one of them is in hospital. For me Robert Kubica is one of the top drivers.
Question: Kubica had an accident while driving a rally car. Mark Webber and Michael Schumacher had accidents on a bike and a motorbike respectively. Isn’t it about time that teams stop their stars from engaging in dangerous leisure activities?
Bernie Ecclestone: Let me say one thing, if you could choose your kind of accident I am sure they would all choose a Formula One car. Remember 2007 in Montreal? Kubica’s crash looked horrible and yet he got out of the car with a concussion and a twisted ankle. That clearly demonstrates that Formula One has become a truly safe sport. To prohibit certain activities will not do as it implies that you have to control their free time. I would have my own ideas of how to handle that situation.
Question: What ideas?
Bernie Ecclestone: Take Kubica. Between two tests he was rallying and had this accident. I would have told him, ‘Listen, you are rallying next week so I guess you are a bit too tired for the test on the following weekend. So let’s have your team mate and the reserve man do the sessions.’ Do you think he would have taken the chance to rally? I don’t think so.
Question: If you were to return to on-track action, what team would you choose, which drivers, which team principal and which third driver?
Bernie Ecclestone: The team could only be Ferrari, because of the myth, because I knew Enzo (Ferrari) and because Ferrari is special. Drivers - Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso. I would be the team principal myself because I don’t see anybody able to handle these two guys in the right way, especially as Alonso is said to be a bit difficult! I don’t believe that, even if we have proof that others failed. For a third man? Probably the one with the most money, or Nico Hulkenberg. He’s a good guy and has perspective.
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