Bernie Ecclestone is backing Sebastian Vettel to win the 2016 Formula 1 World Championship with Ferrari, to finally bring an end to the dominance of Mercedes, which he says is “not good” the sport.
The 85-year-old praised the job Mercedes have done to get in the position they are, but says their dominance must come to an end sooner rather than later to ensure the sport has a future.
“Mercedes are doing a very, very good job and are dominating,” he told Germany’s Welt. “This is basically nothing new because we had something similar already with Ferrari, but that was something else.
“It became apparent to me not long ago that Ferrari’s [dominance] gave a different feeling, had a different presence.”
Ecclestone is therefore hoping Ferrari will be the ones that dethrone Mercedes.
“I hope so,” he said when asked if he hoped Vettel would win the title next season. “Formula 1 is Ferrari. This is a marriage that has been around a long time, which is always renewed and must continue to live on.”
Vettel finished third in the championship standings this season, taking three victories and 278 points, just 44 less than runner-up Nico Rosberg.