Parr confirms Ecclestone pushed F1 exit

Former Williams chairman Adam Parr has confirmed it was Bernie Ecclestone who pushed him to leave formula one.

Earlier this year, Briton Parr - Williams' de-facto team principal - suddenly quit, despite his apparently rising stature within the Oxfordshire based team and the F1 paddock.

His shock departure was met with cynicism, as it coincided with the end to an impasse with F1's chief executive over Williams' stalled Concorde Agreement negotiations.

The Telegraph hinted at the time that Parr "was the victim of a power play", and the latest rumour is that he could be set to commence legal action against Ecclestone, F1's chief executive.

At the time, Williams said Parr resigned simply to spend more time with his family.

He has now admitted in his new book 'The Art of War - Five Years in Formula One': "I had resigned that week, rightly or wrongly believing that Ecclestone had told my board that no Concorde offer would be forthcoming while I was running Williams.

"Under the circumstances, I chose to stand down so that the team could make the best deal possible with him. The offer arrived the day after my resignation had been announced," added Parr.

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Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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