The team bosses are pushing for more of the sport's lucrative revenue, but F1 chief executive Ecclestone said they already spend too much due to wearing rose-tinted glasses.
His advice: "Change the colour of your glasses and tighten your belts," the 81-year-old told F1's official website. "Stop spending more than you need to."
The most recent political war between F1's authorities and the teams - in 2009 - was fierce, when former FIA president Max Mosley pushed hard for a budget cap.
Ecclestone said: "You could (still) install a mandatory budget for all teams - on the basis of the smaller teams - but they (the big teams) don't like it and fiercely fight against it.
"I would welcome it," he insisted. "Yes, I think it could happen."
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