Bernie Ecclestone

Bernie Ecclestone attempted to qualify for a single World Championship event. He was in a Connaught-Alta, one of a fleet of three entered by himself. He finished qualifying 265.2 seconds off the pace, and his two team-mates failed to qualify as well.

He is, however, the most important single person in Grand Prix history. He took charge of Motor Racing Developments in 1972, from Ron Tauranac. He was the team principal for Nelson Piquet's two drivers' titles, but he'd lost interest by the time Brabham missed the deadline to enter the 1988 World Championship.

Into the governance of the sport he went, and he modernised it, and quickly controlled Formula One. He is now the leader of a billion-dollar industry. He is a divisive figure, but he's not done badly for someone who was four minutes off the pace on a Saturday in Monaco.

 

[teabagyokel]

Is Splatter getting waterboarded?

 

[Titch]

Not yet..!

 

[RasputinLives]

For once I agree with Bernie. The F1 strategy club is just an excuse for the big boys to gang up on the little ones.

 

[FB]

It's achieved nothing for F1 so why bother with it. As always, all the teams want to do is protect their own interests which aren't those of the sport.

 

[Mephistopheles]

What is Bernie talking about now? Surely he is the promoter of F1 and not Sebastian Vettel so why is he criticising Vettel for not promoting the sport for ****s sake plus who took F1 out of Germany anyway? And not that is his place to promote F1 but I've never seen Lewis do anything different in that area than any other driver so why praise him.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/119301

 

[Titch]

Not to worry Mephistopheles the FBI must be on to him by now.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Fingers bloody crossed lets hope he tries to bribe someone in the good ol' US of A...

 

[Bill Boddy]

Didn't we do this a week or so ago? Deja vue all over again.

 

[Il_leone]

http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/1...f1s-best-ever-champion-says-bernie-ecclestone

One of Bernie's more sane quotes

 

[Bill Boddy]

He has said the same things about all the champions and then rubbished them once they are no longer winning. He has even said similar things about more than one driver in the same season, all he cares about is publicity which he hopes will bring in more money.

 

[Il_leone]

Indeed in response to anyone who talks him down

 

[FB]

If anyone fancies making a formal complaint to the EU about how F1 is run Bernie is ready.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/119437

Somehow I don't think there has been FIFA like corruption at FOM as the tracks know they have to pay to put on a race so what's the point of giving someone a bung. However, if you are vexed about the way money is distributed in the sport then now is the time to let Margrethe Vestager know. Although the EU has to take a mighty chunk of the responsibility when they forced the FIA to separate the commercial and governance sides of the sport but I doubt they will investigate themselves.

Here's her contact details if you fancy a pop at one of the most powerful men in sport.

http://ec.europa.eu/commission/2014-2019/vestager_en

 

[Il_leone]

FB

What can the EU do? Its the FBI that bought FIFA and namely Sepp Blatter down

 

[cider_and_toast]

That is so tempting

 

[FB]

I believe the EU can look in to the way F1 is financed are how the money FOM makes is shared between the teams. Whether they can do anything about it is another matter.

 

[cider_and_toast]

The Formula Once Group is owned by a company called Delta Topco whch is based in Jersey, The majority owners of Delta Topco are CVC Capital Partners who are based in Luxembourg. So it's very much in the jurastiction of the EU in terms of competition law.

 

[Greenlantern101]

He is Bernie the Carpathian you are like the buzzing of flies to him.

 

[cider_and_toast]

What it really needs is for one of the teams to break ranks and take the establishment on in the courts. There are two reasons why this won't happen though. 1) the little team couldn't afford to tack them on for fear of losing everything and 2) as is the case in years gone by, if you rock the boat hard enough you get bought of with a bit of cash to keep you quiet and that ends any challenge.

McLaren had an excellent case to take the FIA to court over spygate regarding their treatment. Mosley told Dennis that if he did then Mosley would ensure that McLaren couldn't race in F1 while the appeal was outstanding.

 

[siffert_fan]

Maybe Bernie is sure that he could arrange to have any trial held in the same court that let him buy his way out of a bribery conviction in the past.

I do think that the prospect of him facing trial in the US might have him sweating though.

 

[Jen]

I have heard that BE is courting a certain Mr M to buy a huge quantity of shares in Delta which, in turn, would give him a controlling share in CVC.

Maybe old news?