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.

 

[Titch]

According to Bernie neither Delta Topco or CVC are in a hurry to have him go even though he is 83, or as he put it.... appoint a deputy.
And I can't believe that he won't get some money out of an F1 floatation. It would be most un-Bernie like.

 

[Jen]

I don't believe that BE is driven by money; more by a need to be in charge and self-belief (or a lack of perhaps). He will do what ever makes him feel better to the detriment of all around him.

 

[canis]

Yeah, lets float FOM on the stock market, what a great idea. Until you realise that there are 2 types of shares in FOM, ownership shares and those that actually get paid any money from FOM. Of the latter there is only 1 and that is not going to be part of the floatation. So anyone who invests in FOM under the current proposal will get 0 voting rights as the current ownership will still hold over 50% of the shares and all the money goes to that 1 single share that floats its way up to CVC at the end of the day.

And people say Bernie is old and out of touch? Yet if he pulls off this floatation with the current structure of ownership he will have made millions upon millions for his bosses with 0 risk to their control of the sport or their current income. Watch for more details of the floatation and I will bet you a pound to a penny that you will find clauses in there about securing Bernies continued control of the sport and the inability of the shareholders to get rid of him.

This floatation has the potential to be the biggest investment poison chalice for a long time, so anyone who is thinking of investing will need to read the paperwork very very carefully or they could become the next victim of Bernies over reaching ambition...

 

[Mephistopheles]

Any man who can make a fortune (Well not a fortune by his standards.) out of being mugged making a watch company believe that if people buy their watches they will get their heads kicked in, is a good selling point. can make money out of anything going....

 

[The Artist.....]

Having seen Bernie on the BBC today, he's more and more looking his age- in fact, I'd suggest his interview today was an embarrassment! - I've never thought in the past that he had in any way faded with his mental faculties- but today I had to question that!

 

[RasputinLives]

Bernie says he doesn't know what happiness is

http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/news/12433/8791640/Bernie-Ecclestone-not-sure-what-happiness-is-

Which is a good job for the rest of us really otherwised he'd have packaged it up, sown up all the rights and sold it to us as pay per view by now!

 

[gethinceri]

He should ask Ken Dodd.

 

[Mephistopheles]

I'll put a tickling stick where the sun don't shine if he wants....

Hey Bernie how about the birth of your daughters did that make you happy or just piss you off even more...?

 

[Mephistopheles]

I've never thought in the past that he had in any way faded with his mental faculties- but today I had to question that!

I thought his mental faculties had been shot away when he suggested short cuts and random a sprinkler system would be just the thing to make F1 more exciting....

 

[KekeTheKing]

That has been Bernie's M.O. for a while now. Mix in nonsensical statements with incredibly lucid ones to keep everyone off balance.

 

[Titch]

He said in my newspaper yesterday,that he wasn't in business to make money for himself, money was just a way of keeping score. Making money is just a game .. he says.

 

[Fenderman]

Sure wish I found it that easy! Right now my score is unprintable (for reasons of sanity and to avoid abject depression).

 

[Jen]

I've never thought that Bernie was in it for the money - OK, maybe initially, but that was probably just an added bonus, even then.

Now it is still to do with his own self worth and affirmation - at his (great) age and apparent success one would think he might calm down a bit, but he is still proving a point - to whom and why, I have no idea.

 

[Greenlantern101]

They do say that 1 in 10 bosses are psychopaths. So lets take the tell tale signs and see if any of them apply to Bernie...

ruthlessness, fearlessness, charm, persuasiveness, egocentricity, impulsivity, and the absence of conscience and empathy

O.....K......

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-dutton/boss-psychopath_b_2083799.html

 

[teabagyokel]

Greenlantern101 - Can you find any traits of a psycopath that don't apply to Bernie?

 

[siffert_fan]

They do say that 1 in 10 bosses are psychopaths. So lets take the tell tale signs and see if any of them apply to Bernie...



O.....K......

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-dutton/boss-psychopath_b_2083799.html

I don't think that "charm" falls into any description of Bernie. Does that invalidate the diagnosis?

 

[Greenlantern101]

I bet he is. All those big wigs and dictators he entertains on grid walks. Charming as ****.

 

[FB]

I think he's right about the money being a score rather than the goal for him. If he isn't earning more than Ron Dennis, Luca di Watisname or Frank Williams he won't earn their respect. Let's be honest, if money was the motivating factor he would have packed it in years ago and sailed off into the sunset - maybe bought Jamaica or something. Bernie is a poker player and loves the game.

Anyone heard the story about him and Ron Dennis and one of the Concord Agreements? Ron told him no one would sign the agreement given how it was worded, Bernie bet him £200k (I think, might have been less) that they would, Ron accepted the bet and Bernie then put his signature at the bottom of the document right there and then. Ron wasn't too happy at having to cough up the cash but Bernie won again.

 

[siffert_fan]

I think Bernie is 100% ego! To him, the very thought of being out of the public eye is intolerable.

 

[Jen]

I think, even the need for the 'public eye' is erroneous - it's something far more hidden that keeps him going - it might result in power and money, but I don't think these are his ultimate aims, just an affirmation that he is 'getting there'!

Obviously for him, 'it' still needs work and, I suspect, he will go to his grave thinking he has failed.