F1 could be sold by 2016

The Formula One circus could be under new ownership by the end of the year, supremo Bernie Ecclestone said on Tuesday.

Speaking by video at a sports summit in Kitzbuehel, Austria, organised by German football legend Franz Beckenbauer, Ecclestone was adamant a new owner would be found this year.

"Our shareholders are in a position at the moment where they have to lose some, or all, of their shares shortly," he said.

"That's the way things are set up for them. There has been a lot of interest, and I would say there are three parties at the moment. I'd be surprised if one of them doesn't buy very shortly."

The 84-year-old, who runs Formula One Management, the company that generates and manages F1's revenue, did not reveal the names of the interested parties.

F1 chief executive Ecclestone confirmed he would sell his own five percent stake in the business as part of any deal.