Bernie Ecclestone

Bernie Ecclestone, born Bernard Charles Ecclestone on 28 October 1930 in the tiny hamlet of St Peter South Elmham, Suffolk, rose from modest post‑war beginnings to become the architect of modern Formula One. After leaving school at sixteen he worked in a gas‑works laboratory while studying chemistry, but his passion for motorcycles quickly led him to open a spare‑parts shop with partner Fred Compton. His racing career began in 1949 in the 500 cc Formula Three series, where he earned several podiums at Brands Hatch before a series of accidents pushed him toward team management and business ventures. By the late 1950s Ecclestone had entered the Monaco and British Grands Prix as a privateer, albeit without qualifying, and soon managed drivers such as Stuart Lewis‑Evans and Jochen Rindt, the latter posthumously winning the 1970 World Championship. In 1972 he seized control of the Brabham team, guiding it to multiple race victories and two Drivers’ Championships with Nelson Piquet, while simultaneously co‑founding the Formula One Constructors’ Association that would challenge the sport’s governing bodies during the FISA‑FOCA wars. Ecclestone’s most transformative achievement came in 1987 when he established the Formula One Group and secured television‑rights deals that turned Grand Prix racing into a global commercial juggernaut, a dominance cemented by successive Concorde Agreements. Beyond racing he owned a massive collection of historic F1 cars, invested in football clubs such as Queens Park Rangers, and faced numerous controversies ranging from tax fraud convictions to incendiary public remarks. Despite stepping down as chief executive in 2017, his legacy as the “F1 Supremo” endures, having reshaped a sport into a multi‑billion‑dollar enterprise while remaining a polarising figure in both business and popular culture.