Schumacher 'Should Sign More Autographs'

"The drivers don't give the public a fair shake," Ecclestone said in a interview with The Independent. "They're taking a lot of money out of the business, and I'm delighted for them, but it would be nice if they signed a few more autographs, gave a few more interviews.

"Schu is a culprit. I think he does an interview with himself, and if someone wants an interview he just plays them the tape. He's a very nice person, but people don't understand him because they can't get close enough."

The Briton also said outspoken drivers like Eddie Irvine or Jacques Villeneuve were good for the sport, and blamed team bosses for not allowing their drivers to speak freely. 

"Drivers who were more outspoken, like Eddie Irvine and Jacques Villeneuve, were good for you, the media, and good for us," Ecclestone added.

"But now, if drivers say something a bit borderline, the team owner screams at them because the sponsor screams at him, so nobody says anything. In the 1970s the guys didn't give a damn what they said and did."