Last week there were reports that Ecclestone wants to axe the Monaco Grand Prix from the Formula 1 World Championship. This is not a credible suggestion, although one can see how it has happened as Ecclestone clearly wants there to be discussion about the race, and is manipulating media who think themselves members of his inner circle and believe every word he says.

Monaco is one of the cornerstones of the Formula 1 brand. It is the very essence of the glamour of the sport and cannot be replaced by flashy white elephants in distant corners of the world. The suggestion that Monaco should be dropped from the World Championship suggests that he is probably in negotiation for a new contract with the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) and wants to increase the fees paid by the Monegasques. At the same time there are probably other sub-texts that should be taken into account: particularly with the upcoming negotiations for a new Concorde Agreement now not far ahead. Monaco is not particularly popular with the teams, in terms of the working environment and facilities, but it is part of the DNA of F1 and is likely to side with FOTA. The teams understand that it would be suicidal for F1 to remove Monaco from the calendar, just as it would be dangerous not to have Ferrari in the sport. At the same time there is no question that he wants to generate more money for CVC Capital Partners and Monaco is the lowest paying race. The teams will not go above 20 races, so the only real option to increase revenues from race fees is to push up the price for the contracts each time they are renegotiated.

The ACM does what is best for the ACM and, as we have seen in the world of rallying, the club is not afraid to go against the grain if it does not like the terms of the deal on offer. The World Rally Championship struggles for credibility these days because it does not include the Monte Carlo Rally. Formula 1 would be wise not to go down the same route. Bernie knows all of this very well, but sees no harm in trying to weaken the foundations of Monaco’s power.