Kaltenborn: 'Ecclestone exit a turning point for F1'

Monisha Kaltenborn believes that where there is change there is opportunity, and the Sauber boss believes that F1 is now at a 'turning point'.

Kaltenborn has repeatedly voiced her concerns over the direction of Grand prix racing and the difficulties faced by the sport's smaller teams.

Underlining the financial inequality that exists between the front and the rear of the F1 grid, the Sauber boss is an advocate for change, and she hopes the time for transformation has finally come.

"The exit of Bernie Ecclestone is a turning point for the whole of Formula 1," Kaltenborn said.

"I see this less as a relief and more as an opportunity for the whole of Formula 1. It is a big change when the person who made the final decision on everything is no longer there," she told the Sport am Sonntag programme.

• Kaltenborn wants F1 owners to address financial inequality issue ASAP

Ecclestone's restrictive approach to anything that had to do with broadcast rights for example is but one area where Kaltenborn hopes a little leeway will be awarded to the teams in the future.

"As a team, we cannot use the moving images from the race of our own car, for example -- on any medium," Kaltenborn explained.

"The most important thing is that, as a sport, we can get closer to the fan and be able to communicate."

But her pet subject is still inequality and the unfair distribution of Formula 1's income and prize money, something new CEO Chase Carey has already flagged as a priority moving forward.

"I see this as all fundamentally positive," Kaltenborn reacted. "But I am also not so naive as to believe that everything will now be right.

"I think there is a long way to go. But we now have a promising environment, thanks to the new owners," she added.

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