Bernie Ecclestone Fortune

Short introduction

The entrepreneur, born as Bernard Charles Ecclestone, was responsible for the marketing of Formula 1 from the mid-1970s to 2017. At the beginning of his adult life he had driven a few motorsport races himself, but then quickly shifted to making money with the management of motorsport. With his many controversial statements, he often caused scandals.

Early life

He was born in London in 1930 to a working-class family. He left school at the age of 16, after which he found employment with the London public works. After that he also raced himself, but missed twice in 1958 to qualify for the main field of a Grand Prix of the newly founded Formula 1. Then he turned to management in motorsport, especially Formula 1.

Career

One of the first actions to professionalize and monetize Formula 1 was to sell TV rights to Formula 1. However, his wealth is also due to the fact that he was not solely responsible for the financial design of Formula 1. He was also responsible for the exact process of every single Formula 1 Grand Prix. Here he also participated enormously in monetary terms from the granting of these rights and the cooperation with the individual operators of the race tracks.

It is also his responsibility to invest a great deal in the safety of the races and thus the driver from around 1978. Dead people in the races did not promote sales, although the high risk was always part of the fascination of Formula 1. As a result of these drastic measures, there have been hardly any accidents with serious consequences for drivers since the early 1990s.

In 1999 he underwent a heart operation and received a bypass. That did not prevent him from managing the fortunes of Formula 1 with much verve and determination for almost two more decades and to further expand their range.

Bernie Ecclestone was not only the head of Formula 1 for more than five decades. During this time he also had two racing teams of his own that took part in Formula 1 races. Initially this was the Connaught team, later the racing team called Brabham. And his activities continued. For several years he was also the manager of a driver from the Formula 1 field, namely Jochen Rindt.

In addition, his activities were not limited to motorsport alone. Together with some other investors, he acquired the English professional club Queens Park Rangers in 2007. However, Bernie Ecclestone sold off the shares in 2011 again.

In terms of net worth, he was recently ranked 22nd among the richest in a Sunday Times list.

Career highlights

In principle, due to its incredibly long effectiveness as a manager of Formula 1, more precisely the Formula One Group, you cannot pull a single highlight out of the life of Berne Ecclestone. Rather, it is thanks to him that, despite the occasional setbacks and lulls, this racing series has become one of the most profitable sports companies in the world. His particularly long work is also reflected in the fact that he only resigned from this task at the age of 86 by selling the Formula One Group. Being the son of a working class family to have amassed such a large fortune as mentioned above is also absolutely outstanding.

Famous quotes

• “The only good thing about Olympics is the opening and closing ceremonies. It’s a great show. Otherwise it’s complete nonsense. ”
• “I think democracy doesn’t get the store going.” (about its business principles)
• “I have one of these wonderful ideas: women should always be dressed in white, like all the other kitchen appliances.”
• “If I died in the middle of a Grand Prix – no problem! But I would prefer it to happen after the finish. ”
• “As a florist, I would also try to cash in as much as possible. But my heart is in motorsport. ”

Amazing facts

In 2009, he caused a major scandal when, in an interview with the Times in London, he described Adolf Hitler as “not a real dictator” who had only been drawn into things he had no intention of doing. Rather, Ecclestone praised its ability to get things done. The result was an outcry not least from the Jewish community. Ecclestone later apologized for his testimony.

Fabiana Flosi is his third wife. He was previously married to the former Armani model Slavia Radic for 28 years, with whom Bernie Ecclestone has two daughters. He also has a child with his first wife Ivy, whose children also have children, making Bernie Ecclestone a great-grandfather.

In 2013 he was charged with bribery by the Munich Regional Court in a particularly serious case. The proceedings were terminated for a payment of EUR 75 million.