Bernie Ecclestone says teams and drivers should not have a say in the governance of the Formula One, which he admits would be better off left to the FIA.
The current governance structure allows teams to vote on rule changes at F1 Commission level and gives six of the teams -- Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, Williams and (currently) Force India -- a say in the formulation of new ideas on the Strategy Group. The system has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks after a failed attempt to improve F1's qualifying format resulted in criticism from fans, teams and drivers. It should be noted, however, that the teams agreed to revert to last year's regulations and it is the FIA and Ecclestone who are pushing for new rules.
The system of governance is underpinned by unilateral agreements between the individual teams, FIA and commercial rights holders, which are in place until 2020 and also define the division of the sport's revenues between its stakeholders. Ecclestone admits the agreements, which he drew up when the last Concorde Agreement lapsed, are outdated.
"My idea is a simple one," he said. "The reason we had the Concorde Agreement was because it was a peace treaty. So that's how we got this and we haven't changed it. The world's changed, everything's changed but we've kept what we've got.
"The FIA should write the regulations and say these are the regulations, you [teams] all enter the championship, if you don't want to enter up to you.
"You are never going to get competitors to agree between them because they are competitors. They are all at the moment thinking: 2017 regulations, what is good for me? Simple."
Ecclestone believes the engine manufacturers are able to influence the voting habits of their customers and therefore control big blocks of voting power in the F1 Commission, which consists of his vote, the FIA, teams, sponsors and circuit promoters.
"They are buying votes, it's the people they supply the engines to that don't pay the bills if they don't with the engine supplier they are going to be in trouble. So they are buying votes."
"Unfortunately with the voting the way it is set up in the Formula One Commission -- I'm the president of that commission -- with the way that's set up, it's very easy, you get eight votes, it will be more than that though with the sponsors too, so you can't get an answer set if it suits the people who control the votes."
Ecclestone said F1's governance system would be farcical in other sports.
"You imagine all the footballer's getting together for a nice meeting, because I tell you what, ask them all in England, we want wider goals, because we don't score so many goals and then maybe a bit smaller and lower because the other guys keep kicking it over the top. We don't have that sort of thing in Football, the players turn up, put the kit on and kick the ball."
And Ecclestone is completely against adding driver representatives to the F1 Commission to help develop regulations.
"What sort of interest do they have, the drivers, other than taking money out of the sport? I've never seen one of them put one dollar in, you go to dinner with them and they don't even pay the bill. They shouldn't even be allowed to talk. They should get in the car and drive it."