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Bernie Ecclestone wants big teams to run third cars in Formula 1, and says smaller outfits should quit the sport if they cannot afford it.

Just a week after F1's commercial boss said he would be happy if some of grand prix's backmarkers closed down, Ecclestone has revealed his vision for the future.

He reckons F1 would be better off if it was filled with fewer teams running more cars, rather than how it currently is.

In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport talking about what the current small teams should do since costs are out of control, Ecclestone said: "They must stop. If you don't have the finances, you quit.

"I'm ready for a Formula 1 with eight teams with three cars each.

"Is it better to have a third Ferrari or a Caterham? Ferrari could maybe find new sponsors in the USA and an American driver: fantastic. It is the same for the others.

"Take Caterham: it has invested lots of money and it would need just as much, so it looks for paying drivers. What for, since it has never been competitive?"

Ecclestone believes the best way to attract new names to F1 is to get them to buy current outfits, rather than starting squads from scratch.

"It's not easy to start from scratch, F1 costs money," he said.

"To buy a team with a windtunnel, simulator and so on, one requires an investment of around 150 million euros.

"And you haven't even started: then you need the drivers, the right technicians to build the car, and the good ones are few and expensive. That's why Ferrari wanted Newey..."

Translation by Michele Lostia