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Bernie Ecclestone says trial will not distract him from running Formula One
Chief executive Bernie Ecclestone insists battle to disprove charges of bribery will not affect his stewardship of the sport
As Formula One arrived in the smog of Shanghai, the paddock focused at least one keen eye on Munich where Bernie Ecclestone will attempt to prove wrong charges of bribery.
Much of the sport’s future could be determined by what unfolds from next week in a German regional court on every Tuesday and Wednesday through to Sept 16 and possibly beyond.
The trial is expected to be hugely complicated but 83-year-old Ecclestone shrugged off the suggestion that it will in any way impinge on his stewardship of Formula One. "We'll just work a bit harder," the sport's chief executive told Telegraph Sport. "That's all."
On rumours he will abort his defence midway through the trial to seek a plea bargain, he said: "No, not at all. I'm going into this trial to prove my innocence of what I'm being charged with."
Donald Mackenzie, co-founder of CVC Funds, the sport's majority shareholder told the High Court last year that Ecclestone would be fired if he was found to have committed a criminal offence.
However, a CVC source has now intimidated that a plea bargain would throw up a different set of circumstances, to which there was not yet such a clear answer.
The court will decide whether Ecclestone paid Gerhard Gribkowsky, the German banker involved in Formula One's sale nearly a decade ago, a bribe of $44 million (£26 million).
Ecclestone will be in front of the judge, Peter Noll, who convicted Gribkowsky and said of the case: "In this process we assume the driving force was Mr Ecclestone."
Amid the discussion of his future, one topic Ecclestone has been keen to discuss is F1's new engine regulations. Despite continuing criticism of the rules from Ferrari, most teams have arrived in the Shanghai paddock buoyed by a hugely exciting and promising race in Bahrain.
Ecclestone had expressed disapproval of the rules. Had his view of the new F1 changed? "There is no new F1, we have F1," he said. "The regulations change more or less every year. It's a new engine regulation. It has caused me to think it's probably the wrong thing to do because of the noise, or the lack of it.
"Time will tell to see if everybody is happy. It's not me that's concerned, personally, it's the promoters that sell tickets to the public."
One figure who has reiterated his dislike of the new formula is Luca di Montezemolo, the Ferrari president who has appointed a new team principal, Marco Mattiacci, after a dismal start to the season.
Di Montezemolo revealed that he will increased his involvement in the team in an effort to make them competitive again. "I will help him," the Italian said. "I will do like I did in the past. I will stay closer to Formula One. I'll spend more time on it.