Bernie Ecclestone last week offered a robust counter-attack against Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo on the issue of F1 financing.
Ecclestone pointed out that the Maranello squad was the last team who ought to be complaining, bearing in mind that they 
get a special extra slice of the F1 commercial rights cake before the remaining 45 per cent is split up amongst the competing teams.
Bernie and CVC Capital Partners, in their role as the sport's commercial rights holder, keep the rest.
It's been said many times before that the way in which Bernie seized the initiative when it came to shaping the sport's finances three decades ago remains the most remarkably accomplished commercial hijack ever.
Visionary that he is, Bernie could see the commercial possibilities of the F1 business. Then, in his role as president of the Formula One constructors' association and owner of the Brabham team, he sold the other team principals on the deal that made them all supremely rich. And Bernie richer still.
Ironically Ferrari, despite being the richest team both in terms of its own resources and the income streams that flow into its coffers from the sport's commercial rights income, is demanding that Bernie reviews the manner in which this lucrative income is shared around.
My sources tell me there is no chance of any more cash on offer for the
teams until 2013 at the earliest. Bernie thinks that if 10 teams can't get by sharing $450m of annual commercial rights revenue in addition to their sponsorship funding, then they're probably not very good businessmen.
That’s certainly an explosive point of view.
