Team chief says sport needs to support Ecclestone on plans
Tuesday 13 August 2013 08:52, UK
McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh has praised Bernie Ecclestone for keeping F1's "conveyor belt rolling" amid uncertainty over the futures of some grands prix - although doubts the 2014 schedule will now go beyond a record 20 events.
Whitmarsh believes Ecclestone has been right to ensure F1 has a number of options open to it for 2014 but admitted the realisation of a 22-race season would be a difficult one for the sport's mechanics in particular. "In fairness to Bernie he has been pretty good at finding new venues," said the McLaren Team Principal. "In this (financial) climate there are always locations in doubt, so therefore having some back-ups is not a bad idea," he added. "I don't know if the calendar will grow to 22. It would certainly be incredibly tough on the teams, but that's the business we're in. "We all thought a few years ago that going beyond 16 would be tough, and a lot more of them are outside Europe now. "Myself and the drivers have a comparatively easy time compared to the guys who build the cars and do all the back-to-back races, it's very hard. "But we have to support Bernie."
