Ecclestone plays down breakaway talks

Ecclestone met with the teams again in Montreal on Saturday morning to try and reach a settlement on framing a replacement Concorde deal after the last one expired at the end of 2007.

And although there remain big hurdles to overcome, including convincing the FIA to sign up to what he and the teams agree to, Ecclestone believes progress is being made.

"I think now today we have got to a position where everyone knows they need to give a little bit," he told reporters during an impromptu visit to the media centre at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Despite his optimism, Ecclestone says it remains frustrating trying to deal with the teams in laying down terms they are all happy with - and that will be accepted by the FIA.

"I think Max really would like a Concorde Agreement that is more suited to the FIA," he said. "The teams against each other want different things....big wind tunnels, small wind tunnels, no wind tunnels. It is never ending and has been like that forever.

"It is really important we have one so everyone knows exactly what the rules are. The sponsors need stability...the teams are in this championship and they have no idea what the rules are."

Although some teams have privately been talking about the threat of a breakaway series in the event of no deal being reached with the FIA amid the ongoing controversy surrounding Mosley, Ecclestone has in public at least moved to play down the idea.

"Nobody has discussed a breakaway series," he said. "We have been discussing what we are putting in a Concorde Agreement, which we have spent two years trying to get signed.

"But these guys (the teams) can never make up their mind - one team wants something, another team something else and another team another."

Ecclestone also ruled out the possibility of F1 being run by a sanctioning body other than the FIA.

"It wouldn't make any difference," he said. "There would still be arguing amongst the teams about what they want."