Bernie Ecclestone:Constructors Championship Prize money now limited to top ten

[FA fan]

The team which finishes last in this year's Constructors' Championship will not receive any prize money, Bernie Ecclestone has confirmed.

Although F1's pot of prize money is traditionally split between the top ten outfits, for the last three years any team finishing outside of the elite would also receive $10m after former FIA President Max Mosley championed the introduction of three new participants - Caterham, Marussia and the now-defunct HRT - to fill the void created when Toyota, BMW and Honda left F1.

The F1 ringmaster has never made any secret of his wish to limit the size of the field to ten teams and his announcement, made in an article in The Daily Telegraph, that the sport's prize money will only be shared from now on between the top ten is bound to ratchet up the intensity of the battle at the back of the grid between Caterham and Marussia to critical dimensions.

After being pipped to tenth in 2012 by Caterham at the final race in Brazil, Marussia were reputed to have missed out around $10m in prize money - a sum which was estimated to amount to a third of their overall budget - and they are the only team yet to sign a commercial deal for 2013 with Ecclestone.

"They don't have a commercial agreement because they are not in the top ten," Ecclestone told the newspaper. "We pay the top ten, that's what we do. For three years we did something different because we had an agreement with Max but from now on we will pay the top ten and that is it."

Ecclestone has previously not been shy in advocating limiting the field to ten teams rather than the twelve of yesteryear.

"I'd rather have ten," Ecclestone said in December. "I never wanted 12.

"It's just that ten is easier to handle, for the promoters, for transport. We'd rather have ten - so long as we don't lose Ferrari."

[wisepie]

That's bit hard on the one team that finishes last, Bernie tries to attract new teams but then tells them they won't get any money if they're outside the top 10. Bit daft, really.

[Massimo]

That's bit hard on the one team that finishes last, Bernie tries to attract new teams but then tells them they won't get any money if they're outside the top 10. Bit daft, really.

Bernie prefers 10 teams, by any means necessary.

[sagi58]

Bernie prefers 10 teams, by any means necessary.

Dumb question of the day: Why bother expanding?
It doesn't seem fair to some teams!!

[wisepie]

If Bernie only wants 10 teams maximum, why is there talk of trying to attract big manufacturers back, even if only as engine constructors? Doesn't make sense to me.

[tpe]

That's his revenge to Max Mosley. Anyway, I prefer a different approach anyway More like an NBA, where the last team receive the better player...

[sagi58]

If Bernie only wants 10 teams maximum, why is there talk of trying to attract big manufacturers back, even if only as engine constructors? Doesn't make sense to me.

No, it doesn't make any CENTS ;
but, it sure does make a lot of DOLLARS !
(Sorry! Couldn't resist! )

[wisepie]

Such a clever girl, sagi, I think perhaps you need a long holiday!

[sagi58]

... I think perhaps you need a long holiday!

No truer words have been spoken!!

[Massimo]

Interesting how Marussia is behaving, they don't seem to be to bothered that they still haven't got a deal with Bernie, despite Bernie's power talk about paying just 10 teams.
Maybe they're already certain of Ferrari's support (driver, engine, gearbox, money, the occasional sponsor making his/her way from Ferrari to Marussia) if so, than it's not about Bernie vs. Masrussia, but more Bernie vs. Luca Di Montezemolo.

[sagi58]

... if so, than it's not about Bernie vs. Masrussia, but more Bernie vs. Luca Di Montezemolo.

Good point!! I'd bet on di Montezemolo!!

[wisepie]

Maybe there's more going on behind the scenes than we're being made aware of, our F138 developments are being kept under wraps quite nicely and who knows where any deal with Marussia may lead......could be interesting.