The race for ownership of F1

Once again the sale of Formula 1's commercial rights is in the news, what with the Daily Express - to which Bernie Ecclestone has an inside line - in the build-up to the British Grand Prix weekend suggesting the sport's beleaguered ringmaster could purchase back the rights that he originally acquired on behalf of his family at a bargain basement price, and subsequently resold thrice over.

Following Ecclestone's strident criticism of F1 2014-style this writer originally concluded that a buy-back could be on the cards, and that Ecclestone was simply suppressing the price through his somewhat bewildering comments. After all, whoever heard of a CEO so publicly criticising his own show?

However, the story brought swift denials via media members close to Ecclestone - and again there was a grain of logic: who, after all, would wish to purchase into a company with as many product flaws as he maintained F1 currently had?

Thus it was rather mystifying to read that Ecclestone could again control F1's rights in his personal capacity as opposed to being a hired hand operating on behalf of current majority owner CVC Capital Partners. What could lie behind this volte-face?

Still, the news caused paddock chatter to hit overdrive - even if said interview was allegedly conducted a fortnight earlier - and many wondered whether the interview had been planted, being linked to CVC's threats of dismissing Ecclestone should the verdict in Munich, where he is fighting charges of embezzlement, go against him. One cannot, after all, be fired if one owns the company regardless of judicial outcome...