Bernie Ecclestone believes that the Toyota Formula One effort, which withdrew from the championship last year, were guilty of being mismanaged in their quest for F1 success saying that was the reason for their withdrawal.
Toyota withdrew from the championship effective immediately at the end of the 2009 season, after a long, hugely expensive and dismal period in the sport.
They entered F1 back in 2002, but despite a huge investment programme from Toyota HQ, a raft of different drivers and the various rule changes in that time, they failed to win a single one of the 140 races they entered, securing just 13 podiums and a best championship finish of 4th in the constructors standings in 2005.
Toyota's withdrawal followed the other recent losses of BMW and Honda, and Ecclestone shrugged that the ebb and flow of big name manufacturers from the sport was down to manufacturers wanting different things from F1. From the highs of recent years, the sport is now down to just three manufacturer entrants, Mercedes, Ferrari and a 'semi-works' Renault team.
He added that he felt that Toyota would still be in the sport if they had been managed better in the first place.
"Let’s be serious, manufacturers are all there for different reasons," Ecclestone told the official F1 website, "Mercedes are racers. They’ve been racing for a 100 years. They’ve always been there. The other people come and go.
"BMW came with us when I had Brabham - we won the world championship with them - and they left. Toyota have been more or less rally people in the past and turned to Formula One. I probably shouldn’t say what I’m going to say, but I think the team was mismanaged, and my guess is that if they had been managed properly they would still be with us."
Ecclestone's view was backed up by Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug, who was also in the interview.
"Those who have been successful and have won titles are still part of Formula One - Ferrari, Renault and Mercedes," Haug breathlessly counted, "I can only say that our investment in the purchase of Brawn GP paid off. No other team had more exposure over the winter than the rebirth of the real Silver Arrows."
But Ecclestone, though predictably gushing about Mercedes with Haug in the room, also suggested that the German marque should have bought the McLaren team "years ago", though did say that their decision to sever their ties with McLaren and buy out the champion Brawn GP team instead was "sound".
"To be honest it was always my opinion that Mercedes should have taken over McLaren years ago," he shrugged, "So what they’ve done now is absolutely sound. Now it’s theirs to call the shots."
He added with a chortle that: "In the future Mercedes should pay for their participation in the F1 world championship, considering how much publicity they’ve received lately."
Haug expanded on the Mercedes deal with Brawn, saying that: "The beauty of this purchase also has a very positive financial aspect - because Brawn GP won the championship last season we get substantial funding from the rights holder, and we have partnered with great sponsors. These two aspects are funding the team and not Mercedes.
"We contribute with the engine and a small group of people in key areas - and that’s it. It’s a very efficient system, and I am sure Bernie would agree when I say that how we’ve done it could be a role model for when other manufacturers join Formula One."
There was, sadlly, no word on when the two of them planned to get married.
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