Briatore: 'The Americans should open their wallets'

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Flamboyant former team manager Flavio Briatore chimed in on the subject of Liberty Media's takeover of Formula 1, offering his two cents on the deal and its prospects.

The Italian mogul, who was barred from working in F1 following his instigation, as Renault's team boss, of the infamous 'crash gate' episode in Singapore in 2008, labeled the recent deal, or at least its inception, as "very strange".

"They have paid only $700-million, the rest of the money will be when changes are made but no one is talking about the F1 product," Briatore said.

"Among the teams there will be a showdown, everything is to be reviewed but nobody cares about an F1 that no longer attracts and has strange rules that no one understands.

Briatoire considers that there will be a lot of transformational work and investment to be done for the takeover to succeed, and also said that Bernie Ecclestone should remain onboard.

"It's not a good platform when only one team wins and all the others lose. There are only three teams: now it's normal for Vettel to finish fifth from the last row.

"In my opinion, the Americans should open their wallets and try to fix the product. After that, they need to keep Bernie."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.