Bernie oh little Bernie....

Bernie Ecclestone believes an agreement can be made between FOTA and the FIA - so long as the teams agree to continue to race in Formula One.

The eight members of the Formula One Teams' Association - Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, BMW Sauber, Toyota, Brawn GP, Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso - want to form a breakaway series next season because of the proposed budget cap, and are about to be taken to court by the FIA because of it.

However, F1 boss Ecclestone said it needn't come to that, adding that the key players must get back to understanding what the original argument was about - cutting costs.

And he says if the FOTA members agree to remain within Formula One for the next five years, there will be no budget cap.

"We'll do our best to fix it," commented Ecclestone. "I'm sure we'll find a way. We have us, the federation and the teams, and that's the way it should stay.

"I think in the end people will have enough sense not to bust this business up. Everyone should stay in their place and do their job.

"But as ever when people start to have an argument they don't know where to stop and all sorts of people have ideas about what should and shouldn't happen. Eventually it will sort itself out.

"It's difficult for people to understand what it all started with, that he (Mosley) wanted to find ways of saving money for the teams so they didn't go out of business.

"There seems to be some objection to that. I sympathise with them in a lot of ways. They say 'Nobody should tell us how to spend our money. We know what to do'.

"And I say providing they commit to the championship for at least five years, they should spend what they like."