Bernie Ecclestone has hit back at anti-racism campaigners who reacted angrily to his denial that Formula One has a race problem.

Nonsense

The Formula One Chief Executive dismissed the abuse that Lewis Hamilton received in Spain and Brazil this year, as well as on the internet, as “nonsense”, saying that the events stemmed from sporting dislike of Hamilton rather than real racism.

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has warned Donington Park owners that he would have no trouble finding an alternative event should their fail to honour their contract.

The Leicestershire secured a ten year contract to host the grand prix earlier this year after negotiations between Bernie Ecclestone and the Silverstone-owning British Racing Drivers Club collapsed.

Formula One Management and ESPN STAR Sports have agreed to renew their relationship for a further five years. The agreement means that ESS, who have televised F1 for nearly two decades, will have exclusive rights to show F1 across multiple platforms (including internet, radio and mobile phone broadcasts) in 24 Asian markets.

Bernie Ecclestone insists that it is time to put the Max Mosley scandal to bed and welcome the FIA president back to Formula One.

After surviving a vote of confidence and winning his privacy case against the News of the World earlier this year, FIA president Max Mosley has kept a low profile.

Bernie Ecclestone is rumoured to be looking at forming a new series, ‘GP3’, possibly as a competitor to Mosley’s recent plans to resurrect Formula 2 as a low-cost racing series.

The image of Formula One’s elite squatting outside a motorhome, whiling away the last hours of daylight over a deck of cards seems almost out of sorts with the glitzy celebrity-driven milieu of the paddock.

Formula One’s commercial rights holder CVC Capital Partners has dismissed speculation, triggered by comments from FIA president Max Mosley, that it is about to sell the sport and replace Bernie Ecclestone.

Rumours have been doing the rounds for several weeks now that the investment company, which owns around 70% of the Formula One Group, is looking to sell-off its shareholding of the sport.

F1 teams have agreed to setup a new body that will work in conjunction with the FIA and Formula One Management to thrash out a new Concorde Agreement including the commercial conditions and new rules. The new body has representatives from each Formula One team.