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Change in F1 ownership won't affect Ecclestone, feels MosleyReuters

A day after it was announced that Formula One have received interest from NFL team Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross as well as investors from Qatar, former International Automobile Federation (FIA) president Max Mosley says the role of F1 Chief Executive Bernie Ecclestone won't change, even if the takeover takes place.

Negotiations might be at an early stage, but RSE Ventures, the company founded by Ross, along with Qatar Sports Investments, the owners of French league club Paris Saint-Germain, have already asserted their interest to buy a stake in the sport.

They plan to bid for CVC Capital Partners' 35.5% controlling stake in the company, and according to the BBC, the deal could be well up to $8bn (close to £5bn), and might help build the sport's presence in the United States.

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However, Mosley, who was the FIA president from 1993 through 2009, feels that the current F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, 84, won't be affected with the change in ownership, if any, while also heaping praise on the British businessman for his insane work rate, even at this age.

"He [Ecclestone] is very amazing, the way he keeps going. Most of us at a certain age get tired," Mosley, 75, told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"He is the person who has managed to sell it [F1] everywhere.

"I am sure CVC have had thoughts about an 84-year-old chief executive. There is nobody else who does the job this well."

Ecclestone has been in charge of the sport since 1978, and also owns a 5% share in CVC Capital Partners. But, even if the sport is sold to another bidder, the CEO is expected to retain his position as he can play an integral part in the future of the sport.

"I said to him the other day: 'Don't you feel tired in the afternoons?' He said that the phone calls come in and the emails come in and that gets adrenaline going," continued Mosley.

"He's very interested in what he does and does it very well. Age tends to be flexible."

Ross and the Qatar investors might be just one of a number of potential bidders interested in a takeover of F1, but it is also believed that if CVC agrees to the deal put forward by the group, the sport of Formula One can grow a lot in the US.