F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone says the big teams aren't taking over

Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley and Sauber team boss Monisha Kaltenborn both expressed concerns to AUTOSPORT last week in Montreal of what they believe is a power play being made behind the scenes by Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull.

The feeling is the customer car agenda being driven by the quartet is part of a wider scheme to ultimately gain "total control from a power and financial point of view", according to Fernley.

The fact bosses from the four major teams were involved in a meeting in the paddock at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve last Friday only fuelled suspicions, particularly as fellow Strategy Group members Force India and Williams were not involved.

F1 commercial rights holder Ecclestone, however, told AUTOSPORT: "This has happened in the past and it's nothing new, although it's new to them because they're all new kids on the block.

"But it's not new to me. I've been there and done it. So far nobody has threatened to do anything, but then the worst thing anybody could ever do is threaten me."

A fortnight previously in Monaco, Ecclestone expressed his own thoughts on how a customer-car concept could work, but he is strongly sceptical as to the teams' own plans.

"They think they want that, until it gets down to the how, and then that becomes the problem," remarked Ecclestone.

"How are they going to do it? If they have a plan then they should get on and do it, but it's not going to happen, so I don't even think about it now.

"There are lots of things I want to do in life but I can't do them, and they will have to learn that when they have the same problems.

"But I guess it's good for them to have dreams and meetings."

Despite a plethora of meetings of his own in Montreal, Ecclestone senses little progress - if any - was made.

"The feeling is we probably wasted 48 hours," he said.

"The trouble is nobody really knows what they want, and when you do give them something they think they want, they then decide they don't want it.

"But it's not a problem. We will do what we think we have to do, and hopefully we will get it right, which we have done more often than not."