Williams will break F1 stranglehold, says Jody

Speaking at the Autosport International Show at Birmingham's NEC, the 1979 title-winner said: "It's nearly always been the case that a couple of teams have dominated Formula 1, but I think the guys at Williams-BMW will be making it three teams fighting over the wins pretty soon.

"Ferrari and McLaren dominating is nothing new. And it's simple really: the teams with the best guys and the most money will always be on top. There's no secret to it."

Scheckter, whose shoot-from-the-hip opinions enlivened Autosport magazine's Grand Prix coverage during the 2000 season, also bemoaned the lack of characters in modern F1.

"In my day, somebody like James Hunt was treated like a pop star, but it's different now," he said. "Eddie Irvine comes closest to that nowadays, but there are so many layers of PR people between the drivers and the press that the personalities get watered down. When I was racing, you could say what you liked, then just walk away..."