F1: Ecclestone says ticket prices up to teams

Formula 1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone says the easiest way to bring down grand prix ticket prices is for teams to accept less commercial rights income.

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff revealed recently that F1 teams had broached the subject of high ticket prices with Ecclestone during recent meetings. The matter has become a big talking point because empty grandstands at traditional events like the German and Italian GPs have prompted questions about why fans are no longer going to races.

Wolff said: "I guess it is pretty clear what needs to be done to fill the grandstands in the traditional races such as Hockenheim and Monza."

Ticket prices are so high because the income from spectators is one of the only ways that promoters can recover the high race sanctioning fees that are paid to Ecclestone.

Speaking in response to Wolff's comments, Ecclestone insisted that it would be easy to bring down race hosting fees to make tickets cheaper – but that can only happen if teams are willing to accept less money from him, too.

"Has he told you how?" asked Ecclestone about Wolff's call for lower ticket prices. "You should tell him about reducing what they want for racing, and then we can reduce the fees.

"That is the problem. We collect money for the teams – the teams get 70 percent of the revenue that comes from the promoters."

Ecclestone also expressed doubts that the decline in audiences at grands prix is solely down to high ticket prices. He thinks that pressures on people's time, plus the wide variety of entertainment options, mean nothing is as popular as it once was.

"With sport, there is so much of it – and only so much time – that everything has lost a little bit," he said. "It's the same thing with the promoters."