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.

 

[Mephistopheles]

I had a "long on" the other night....

Sorry, sorry I couldn't resist..... My bad....

 

[Fenderman]

Great how one single letter missing from a paragraph changes the whole meaning and tone, ain't it?

 

[GeoffP]

I think he must be referring to Kevin Pieterson, but I thought he preferred to field close to the bat

 

[Road of Bones]

Perhaps he was listening to the cricket while writing it...

Edit: beat me to it GeoffP !

 

[teabagyokel]

Well, finally Bernie has aired a shot. Will he be caught? Or maybe run out by his opposite bat Grabowsky.

 

[Bill Boddy]

I can't see him as retired hurt....that's it, obstructing the field.

 

[GeoffP]

What a silly mid off!

or is it a Short leg?

 

[The Pits]

GeoffP I think that is a silly point.

 

[teabagyokel]

The translation of the indictment is in:

It reads: "For you, Bernie, ze vor is over."

 

[cider_and_toast]

If this is the end for Bernies time at the top, I dread to think of the power vacuum he's going to leave behind and the scrap for the commercial control of F1 that will go on in his wake.

This could be even messier than we could imagine.

 

[gethinceri]

I vote Schumacher as the heir.
Ralf, though.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Let's face it, the FIA will want some power back, the teams will want more power and CVC will want to make sure their money keeps coming in. You can bet your last pound that Bernie will have never even considered handing over control of F1 so if he's thrown out as a result of this, it's going to be chaos.

 

[Fenderman]

Sainsbury super market chain's CEO Justin King is being groomed to replace Ecclestone although Sainsbury's have consistently denied it. Big business hates a vacuum and also recognises that no-one is indispensable. Therefore I suspect the rumour is true.

 

[The Pits]

Justin chuckled when he heard that rumour. I have been told, by Justin that it is not true, and that he has no plans to leave sainsburys yet.

That said, that doesn't mean much.

He would be great, he has worked wonders at sainsburys.

And he is a shortarse, like me and Bernie!

 

[Mephistopheles]

Every little helps,,, or is that Tesco's?

I read about the scandal of Asda stealing Sainsbury's tagline "Good food costs less at" Like they weren't satisfied with the "That's Asda price," tap on a nice pert bottom tag.

So we already have a "Gate." To get us going, it's a pity it wasn't Somerfield really, because then we could have had a Gateway gate (Somerfield used to be called Gateway, just to be clear.).....

 

[Fenderman]

Indeed

 

[Greenlantern101]

 

[RasputinLives]

We will miss Bernie when he's gone because there will be an attempt at a breakaway series which will either sour F1 for a few years before its reunited or kill in all together like happened in Indy Car.

Ferrari will stay F1 and someone like Red Bull will lead the breakaway.

Meanwhile the US will love Formula E and loads of the money will go there.

 

[Titch]

If RB lead the breakaway, then Horners in charge, and there's no hope left.

 

[teabagyokel]

To be fair, Titch, if F1/the breakaway is led by the 3rd placed man in the narcissistic, evasive, obnoxious, self-interested, greedy, spiteful, corrupt F1 psychopath competition, it would be an improvement on being run by the winner.