Bernie Ecclestone: The Formula 1 legend turns 90 years old

Bernie Ecclestone, one of the greatest Formula 1 icons, celebrates his 90th birthday. These are the light and dark sides of his life.

Looking up at Bernie Ecclestone is not that easy, because he is only 1.59 meters. This little man, "who loves it so much when you admire him" ("Die Welt"), celebrates his 90th birthday on Wednesday. This is the essential crux of Bernie Ecclestone and may adequately explain his claims to power and his passion for control. "It is difficult for him to endure more powerful ones," wrote the "Welt". That is now over, Bernie Ecclestone is a private person, but a very colorful one.

He was the defining figure in the global spectacle of Formula 1 and juggled with millions. The grumpy little Englishman was the great Zampano of the glamorous premier class of motorsport for over 40 years. The fact that he became one of the richest men in Great Britain is due to his intelligence, strong nerves and sophistication, his instinct and assertiveness. His career is a cinematic success story from bottom to top.

From simple circumstances

The son of a fisherman from the eastern English port town of Ipswich, Suffolk, left school at 16 and worked as a laboratory assistant for the city's gas supply before Bernard Charles Ecclestone, who everyone soon called "Bernie", entered the used car trade. After all, his passion for motorsport drove him to the racing slopes. Immediately after the end of the war he took part in motorcycle races, in 1949 he tried his hand at the Formula 3 series, but a serious accident on his home track at Brands Hatch ended Ecclestone's active career.

In 1957, Ecclestone arrived in Formula 1. He bought Team Connaught, whose Welsh driver Stuart Lewis-Evans (1930-1958) he managed at the time. When he died a little later on the road for the Vanwall racing team as a result of a serious accident at the Grand Prix of Morocco, Ecclestone turned his back on the sport.

It was not until the 1960s that he finally made it to Formula 1, first as the manager of Jochen Rindt (1942-1970), then as co-owner of his Lotus team. After Rindt also lost his life on the track, Ecclestone withdrew again, but then surprisingly bought the Brabham team in 1971. He led the racing team for 15 years and celebrated the world championship title in 1981 and 1983 together with the Brazilian driver legend Nelson Piquet (68).

Rise as a tough negotiator

Back then, the teams dealt individually with the race organizers. Ecclestone realized that working together could make a lot more money. He founded FOCA, an advocacy group for all Formula 1 teams, acquired the Formula 1 broadcasting rights, and began TV marketing, which made him very rich. As managing director and co-owner of the Formula One Group, he managed the commercial exploitation of the Formula 1 World Championship, a billion-dollar business.

The magazine "Auto Motor Sport" ruled: "The little man, born in 1930, was suddenly the big boss of the fast business. Without a business plan … Without an official position. Without an appointment or an election. His wrinkled face and the gray mushroom heads became the face of this sport. (…) When Bernie appeared in person, others stood at attention. Or they ran half a meter behind him, their heads slightly bent forward to even understand the low-volume speaker. "

People who wanted to gamble against him were dumped in a flash. If there was no other way, he was happy to help with a few million. According to the motto: "I can buy anyone, anyone out there. They do everything for money!"

Ecclestone receives maintenance from his ex-wife

The Sunday Times newspaper publishes a list of the richest Britons every year. In the "Rich List 2020" he came in 56th place with a fortune of 2.5 billion pounds (2.76 billion euros). But actually Ecclestone should not appear in this list at all.

In 1996, for tax reasons, he transferred his entire assets of over three billion pounds to foundations that allegedly only control his then wife Slavica Ecclestone and their two daughters Tamara (36) and Petra (31). He divorced Slavica (62), a former Armani model from Croatia, in 2008 after 23 years of marriage. Since then, Bernie Ecclestone has been supported by her, reported the "Spiegel": "100 million dollars is exactly the amount that his divorced wife … pays him as maintenance – per year."

Ecclestone's greatest weakness

The sometimes rabid "Formula 1 dictator", who was released into private life by the new US owner Liberty Media in 2017, has a major weakness, as he himself admits: women. He married the first wife Ivy Bramford in 1952. With her he has daughter Deborah, who made him a grandfather and great-grandfather. She was followed in the late 1960s by Tuana Tan, with whom he dated for 17 years. In 1985 he married Slavica and had a sign put up in the kitchen: "Who cares about the dog – beware of the wife".

Wife number three is the 46 years younger Brazilian Fabiana Flosi. The 44-year-old made him a father again at 89, and son Ace was born on July 1, 2020. Ecclestone: "I don't know yet if we will stop here. Maybe he should have a little brother or sister."

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