Bribe probe brings focus to Formula 1 again
Formula 1 motor racing has long been regarded as one of the greatest sports and certainly an exciting one for spectators but only the keenest of fans would say the sport remains at the top of its game. There have been far too many knocks and body blows to the sport in recent times, all of which have managed to take the edge off of what was one of the most exciting sports in the world. The need for safety is important and that should never be forgotten but it has to be said that Formula 1 races, in the main, lack the tension and excitement that they did a decade or two ago.
There is so much money in F1
It also has to be said that the money at the top of the game and the companies pulling the strings has also changed many people’s opinion of it. Formula 1 race driving is a very risk sport so not many people are fussed about how much money the drivers make. However, the companies involved at the top of the industry are raking money in all the time and like in every sport, when this happens, it manages to drive a wedge between the fans and the sport.
Is Bernie the boss that is right for the sport?
It also doesn’t help that some of the individuals involved at the high end of the industry also seem to have had a number of dodgy dealings in their time. The latest story to break about Formula 1 yet again puts Bernie Ecclestone in a bad light and will cause many to reconsider their views about the sport once again.
German prosecutors have listed Ecclestone as allegedly giving a bribe to a banker during the time the sport was sold in 2006. The banker, Gerhard Gribkowsky, who is control of the sale of the stake in F1 held by BayernLB, is accused of receiving a £27m bribe. Mr Ecclestone has stated that he expects to be cleared of any wrong doing but this is another story and smear that the sport could have lived without.
This allegation will be laughed off by the diehard fans of the sport that pay no attention to the detractors attempting to run down Formula 1 but most other people will wonder just how much more news is to come from the sport and the people at the top end of the industry.