Bernard Ecclestone
Bernard Charles Ecclestoneis a British business magnate, motorsport executive and former racing driver. Widely known in journalism as the "F1 Supremo", Ecclestone founded the Formula One Group in 1987, controlling the commercial rights to Formula One until 2017.
Born in Suffolk and raised in Bexleyheath, Ecclestone began his business career trading automotive parts after World War II. He started racing in Formula Three in 1949, winning multiple races at Brands Hatch driving a Cooper Mk V. After purchasing two Connaught chassis in 1958, Ecclestone entered the Monaco and British Grands Prix in Formula One as a privateer, but did not qualify at either. He then became a driver manager for Stuart Lewis-Evans and Jochen Rindt, the latter winning the World Drivers' Championship posthumously in 1970. Ecclestone purchased Brabham in 1972—who he operated for 15 years—leading the team to 22 victories, as well as two World Drivers' Championship titles with Nelson Piquet. He co-founded the Formula One Constructors' Association two years later, leading them through the FISA–FOCA war.
His control of the sport, which grew from his pioneering sale of television rights in the late-1970s, was primarily financial; under the terms of the Concorde Agreement in 1987, Ecclestone and his companies also controlled the administration, setup and logistics of each Formula One Grand Prix. He also founded International Sportsworld Communicators in 1996, controlling the commercial rights to the World Rally Championship until 2000. Ecclestone placed fifth on the Sunday Times Rich List in 2002, and declined both a CBE and a knighthood from Elizabeth II. Ecclestone co-owned association football club Queens Park Rangers with Flavio Briatore from 2007 to 2011, overseeing their promotion to the Premier League. Ecclestone sold the Formula One Group to Liberty Media in 2017, subsequently being appointed as chairman emeritus and adviser to the board of directors until his departure in 2020.
Over his four-decade career as an executive in Formula One, Ecclestone was involved in several controversies. With the birth of his son in 2020, he became the sixth-oldest father in human history, aged 89. In October 2023, Ecclestone was convicted of tax fraud at Southwark Crown Court, and agreed to pay HM Revenue and Customs over £650 million in back taxes and penalties; he was sentenced to 17 months in prison, suspended for two years.
