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.

 

[KekeTheKing]

Sort of like how Sebastian Loeb, hybrid engines, and pay drivers have anything to do with the man on the moon?

In all honesty though, if Bernie wanted a German GP there would be one. Simple as that.

 

[gethinceri]

Nope, you connected the court case and the fact that there is no 2015 German GP, you have no proof of the link.

 

[F1Yorkshire]

There may not be a link but it's an interesting coincidence.

 

[gethinceri]

Which is a far more realistic opinion.

 

[KekeTheKing]

Bernie is given credit for pulling more strings than Gepetto. Half of the stories are complete bullshit. Nobody knows what he's actually capable of.

The guy could buy the Nurburgring 100 times over. The only thing Ecclestone is interested in these days is settling scores.

 

[Mephistopheles]

I can't see a link between the two either...

 

[gethinceri]

Ha ha, I love the internet.
Half the bullshit stories are here!

 

[KekeTheKing]

Is it really that far-fetched?

Any discount on the promoters fee is couch cushion change for the likes of BCE and CVC.

This smacks of vengeance of the highest order.

 

[gethinceri]

You are wearing yourself as a hat.

 

[F1Yorkshire]

Didn't Bernie demand that his fine was to be pumped back into the German motorsport industry? Do we know if this happened or not?

 

[Mephistopheles]

Bernie has had it in for Europe for a long time he tried to kill the British Grand Prix he got rid of the French Grand Prix one of the Spanish Grand prix is gone, the Turkish Grand Prix is gone the European Grand Prix is gone Spa has been off and on and now the German Grand Prix is gone Bernie wants the Arab nations, China, Japan and America to host them because that is where the money is, he has said as much himself.

Basically he has milked Europe dry and now he's looking for a fresh teat to suck on..

 

[KekeTheKing]

What's more absurd? The fact that a man sits in jail for accepting a bribe while the man who paid the bribe in order to conceal a far greater crime is allowed to almost singlehandedly decide whether the prosecuting country deserves the right to pay the inordinate fee reserved for those wanna-be nations like Korea and India.

Point being. Concessions could have been made, yet they were not.

 

[F1Yorkshire]

One thing we all agree on is that the situation is a bit fishy, something has gone on behind the scenes but without any facts been made public we are merely speculating on what could have happened.

The way the situation has been dealt with complies with German law. While we may think it's wrong it has been made legal.

 

[Mephistopheles]

The future is not bright the future is Bernie.

Circuit owners in Europe, unable to meet the increasing demands of FOM's contracts, and unable to call on government support, cried off and one-by-one the countries that make up the sport's heartland fell by the wayside.

Today, days after it was confirmed that Germany will not host a race this year, the first time since 1960 that it has been missing from the calendar, Ecclestone warned that the race may not be in a position to return to the calendar next year and that other events in Europe may follow.

 

[KekeTheKing]

Formula One has a future far beyond Bernie Ecclestone.

The sport has really never been stronger in its heartland. TV figures are up. A homegrown driver is poised to continue his legendary run. Germany will be back on board in short order if Seb is putting the Ferrari on the podium consistently.

Doom and gloom predictions are for the birds!

 

[Mephistopheles]

Sorry but TV figures are not up they have dropped massively and attendance figures are down also.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...itain-despite-Lewis-Hamilton-s-title-win.html

Formula One suffers global drop in TV figures... and five per cent of fans turn off in Britain despite Lewis Hamilton's title win

.

 

[KekeTheKing]

Germany was pouting last year because of Seb's sullen demeanor and the sad fate of Schumacher. GBRs 5 % is more than made up for by the folks that eschew the Sky subscription for the free feeds readily found on the Internet. Figures are way up in the Americas and with Haas joining the Ferrari fray in 2016 things really couldn't be better for a massive U.S. influx.

For 6 hours a week, 19 times a year, F1 is damn-near the best entertainment value you can find anywhere in the world. No matter what you're paying for your cable package.

 

[Mephistopheles]

 

[Bill Boddy]

The TV audience has been lost because it is going over to Sky, not just in the UK but also places like Italy. The cost if all you want is F1 is ridiculous. If you go to races it turns into a small fortune, how many other sports start at £100 for one day?

 

[Mephistopheles]

I'm not gonna get into it I know when I'm being poked with a stick..