Ecclestone falls out to the FIA: ''They should never have done it like this''

Prior to the Formula 1 weekend in Australia, Ferrari was still under heavy fire because of the statement made by the FIA regarding the legality of their engine during the 2019 deason. The question remains if Ferrari actually cheated and if they are spared by the FIA.

"The FIA should never have done what they've done now. That statement was wrong and so was that agreement between Ferrari and the FIA. What is written in that agreement, because it was within the rules and if not you have to punish them'", says Bernie Ecclestone in conversation with Autocar.

According to the former Formula 1 CEO, this didn't make any sense. ''You now have an agreement, so the FIA says 'you are 100 percent guilty, but there is nothing we can do about it. It happened now, so we are not going to punish you for it'', says Ecclestone who is obviously dissatisfied with the policy of the FIA.

Ecclestone wasn't always perfect either, of course, but the Brit does cite a case from the past, which is suspiciously similar to the current situation. In 2007 McLaren was accused of spying. They did receive a huge fine from the FIA, the fact was openly discussed and the team was removed from the constructors' championship for two seasons.

''There was a team once very angry with me that I suggested $100 million as punishment," Bernie says about the infamous 'Spygate' case. ''Max Mosley wanted to take them out of the championship, but why not punish them for what they did. I think that works better'', concludes Mister E.