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Brawn: No problem working with Ecclestone...

Ross Brawn says he'd be happy to work alongside Bernie Ecclestone in a head role in F1 but concedes it is unlikely to happen in the next few years.

The former Benetton, Ferrari and Brawn GP team principal has recently denied reports linking him to taking over from Ecclestone as F1 chief but has continued to voice an interest in returning to the sport but not in a role within a team.

Brawn has recently carried out consultancy work for F1's new owners Liberty Media, while many teams back the 61-year-old as the preferred candidate for overseeing the technical side of the sport.

Three years ago Brawn walked away from F1 after a managerial dispute with Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda at Mercedes but is motivated to return to help the future of F1 in a sporting and technical role at the head of the sport alongside Ecclestone.

"It would be a very interesting combination and it certainly wouldn't be a problem for me," Brawn told the BBC. "But Bernie is the ring master and he is the one who is going to decide how things play out in the next few years.

"When the day comes that Bernie eventually stops there won't be another Bernie. It will be a different structure and with Liberty Media getting involved there is speculation about how things will evolve.

"But what could motivate me is contributing some way to the future of F1 and how it can progress and meet the challenges it is facing today and that could be any number of roles."

Brawn also revealed he feels he never gave Ecclestone the full credit he deserves for making F1 the world renowned pinnacle of motorsport and has huge respect for the 86-year-old's achievements.

"The relationships are vital in any business," he said. "But I understand Bernie and I didn't make enough effort during that period to perhaps give him the respect that was due. He has achieved an enormous amount in F1." 

Zdroj: crash.net