Ecclestone hints at BMW exit

Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone believes BMW’s failure to challenge for the world title is behind their widely anticipated withdrawal from the sport.

The German manufacturer have called a press conference for 10am today, during which they are expected to announce that they will end their participation in F1 at the end of the season.

It is a blow to Ecclestone, who saw Honda pull out ahead of the 2009 campaign, but he is hardly surprised given BMW’s inability to produce a competitive package.

“Recently when I spoke to Mario Theissen, the team manager, he said they had three years to win the world championship,” Ecclestone told BBC Radio Five Live.

“That’s what he wanted to do and he was quite confident they would.

“But it appears it’s not quite been like that, so perhaps that’s why they’ve (chosen) to stop.”

BMW drivers Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica have amassed only eight points between them this season to leave their team eighth in the constructors’ championship.

The company cited “current developments in motor sport” as the reason for calling today’s press conference in Munich – but Ecclestone believes their struggles brought matters to a head.

“If I was looking after their politics, if you want to say that, I’d hardly say that we decided to leave because of our performance over the last three years,” he added.

“When you consider how much money they’ve spent and the results they’ve got, it’s probably not such a good investment.

“They were quite sure that they were going to win the championship within three years, and I was hoping they would.”