Bernie Ecclestone hopes Ferrari can fight for 2016 F1 championship
Bernie Ecclestone is hoping Ferrari can rekindle excitement within Formula 1 again this season by emerging as a serious title challenger to Mercedes
F1 has been dominated by Mercedes over the past two seasons, with the German manufacturer winning both the constructors' and drivers' championships, and 32 of the 38 grands prix in total.
Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel edged closer to Mercedes last season, and there are indications from recent pre-season testing it will again be pushing reigning champion Lewis Hamilton and team-mate Nico Rosberg.
Asked on the Australian Grand Prix official podcast what would make the races exciting again for the fans, F1 supremo Ecclestone replied: "The bottom line is a simple one.
"I'm hoping upon hope Ferrari get back to where Ferrari should be, which is challenging for the world championship, and the same with Red Bull."
"It depends an awful lot on how Ferrari perform.
"If they don't show they can win the championship, unfortunately - or fortunately depending on where you are - we're going to have a Mercedes dominating again.
"Having said that, maybe Nico, after three wins [at the end of] last year, he's going to be in form.
"Maybe he has suddenly got a bit more confidence in himself, so let's see.
"If those two [Hamilton and Rosberg] are challenging each other, it will be good."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
McLaren's Alonso sure some F1 teams will get new rules wrong
Formula 1 peaked in 2000s, not Senna/Prost era, Alonso believes
How Hamilton has battled his own mentality
Ferrari "made too many mistakes" for podium fight at F1 Chinese GP
Ferrari announces Miami F1 livery change to mark US anniversary
What's been going wrong for Leclerc in F1's tiny margins qualifying game
Peugeot won't replace Vergne, Vandoorne for Spa WEC amid Formula E clash
Why Audi and Verstappen have complicated Formula 1’s driver market decisions
‘Metronomic’ Verstappen may rule F1, but it won’t last forever - Horner
Erik Jones sidelined with compression fracture after Talladega crash
Did F1's new sprint format work?
Chinese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2024
Why Verstappen's China F1 win was a sideshow to the real battle
How the pursuit of marginal F1 gains caused Sauber's pitstop stumbles
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments