Hamburg - Formula One should have a chief umpire and a system of yellow and red cards to punish drivers on the spot, F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone suggested in an interview published on Friday.

Ecclestone told the website of German magazine auto, motor und sport that such measures would end procedures like Lewis Hamilton being dropped from first to third place at the Belgian Grand Prix three hours after the race over a time penalty imposed by race stewards.

"I call for a chief umpire who either issues a sanction immediately or shows a yellow card like in football.

"Certain offences would be punished with a red card and others with a yellow card. If the driver has amassed a certain amount of yellow cards he will be banned from the next race," Ecclestone said.

Ecclestone named recently imposed penalties just but also warned not to punish every small offence because "the drivers won't dare to overtake anymore."

Ecclestone also reiterated that he was in favour for a common engine in the sport for which the ruling body FIA on Friday opened a tender for third-party suppliers.

The Briton said that cost-cutting in the sport must take place, with reduced testing time and less hours allowed in a wind channel other possible measures.