Ecclestone says Red Bull engine situation out of his hands

After speaking at length to Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene in the Sochi paddock on Thursday, Ecclestone said that the situation was out of his hands because he had no power to force the Italian team's hands.

"I can't make these people do something," said Ecclestone about getting Ferrari to commit to a Red Bull deal.

"The only thing we can do is to stop them selling more than three teams with engines. That we can do.

"They can only have the right to supply three teams. We want them to supply more."

Ecclestone said that if he was in Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz's position, he would accept a stop-gap solution of 2015 engines, but he questioned whether Ferrari are even willing to offer that.

"Should he take it?" asked Ecclestone about a 2015 offer. "If I was him I would be prepared to. If they are prepared to give an engine. Are they prepared to give engines to them?"

No control

Without any regulations that forces Ferrari to supply Red Bull with engines, Ecclestone said he could understand why teams were reluctant to voluntarily give out engines.

"They are supplying other people with no problems," he said. "Mercedes made a deal with Marussia, although I understand that Red Bull had asked for an engine before they dealt with Marussia.

"But I guess they looked at it as, if we supply engines to Red Bull, maybe they can beat us.If we supply engines to Marussia, maybe they won't."

When asked what he could do, Ecclestone said: "I don't have engines. These people, nobody has done anything wrong. They are following the regulations. It is as simple as that.

"They [the manufacturers] are not deciding anything. They have got regulations and they are building and running their team based on the regulations."

Ecclestone agreed with sentiments that the Red Bull situation was a signal that the new hybrid rules had been a failure for F1.

"I think it failed before it started," he said.

Too early to worry

Although Red Bull has issued very public statements that it will quit F1 if it cannot get hold of 2016-spec power units, Ecclestone said he was unaware of where things stand.

When asked by Motorsport.com if he was concerned Red Bull could leave, Ecclestone said: "I am not worried because I don't know. I worry when I have to worry."

But he conceded that the absence of the two Red Bull teams from the grid next year would not be positive.

"If they leave? It is bad for F1, bad for the sport."