Ex-Formula 1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone would have liked to spend one more year in the role before handing the running of the sport over to Liberty Media, but has no hard feelings over his departure.

Ecclestone, 86, was forced to resign from his position in January following the completion of Liberty's takeover, with American businessman Chase Carey taking over his role.

Ecclestone has been handed the honorary position of 'chairman emeritus', but no longer holds control of the sport, with a number of changes already being invoked by Liberty.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Ecclestone said if he had been Liberty, he would have given himself another year to see how things worked before taking the decision to make a change at the top of F1.

"I would have asked them to work with me for a bit," Ecclestone told Sky Sports News. "Wait for a year and afterwards say 'has it worked, not worked?'

"'Not worked? Sorry, you'll have to leave,' or whatever.

"But different people operate companies differently, obviously. I think this is very much the way American companies operate. Let's be absolutely sensible about it: they bought the car, they wanted to drive it."

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Despite his sudden exit, Ecclestone said he did not feel as though Liberty had let him down.

"Not at all," Ecclestone said. "I know the way the world operates."

Ecclestone's departure came as Liberty felt more could be done to maximise F1's potential, but he was quick to defend his business record in growing the sport.

"I think people have got muddled up a bit. These people have thought and said, and Chase has said, that I hadn't done a very good job in the last three years," Ecclestone said.

"I thought I had. CVC thought I had, and I managed to produce $1.5 billion-a-year income, which made their shares worth a lot of money.

"Maybe if I'd have done a lousy job people could have bought the shares cheaper."

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