Ecclestone shakes up F1 paddock

Apr.19 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has shaken up the F1 paddock.

Observing that drivers were in the habit of simply walking a few steps from the teams' hospitality areas straight into the garages, the sport's chief executive thought about how to spice up the action in the paddock.

Now, starting with this weekend in Bahrain, the drivers and leading team figures are in some cases having to walk from one end of the paddock to the other to get from their teams' hospitality suites to the corresponding pit area.

It is music to the ears of the media, giving reporters and television crews more of a chance to catch F1's leading players on the hop in the paddock.

"McLaren is the worst off," reported France's RMC Sport, "because the drivers have to cross almost the entire paddock to get from the paddock hospitality to the garage."