Collectors & Aficionados
Business F1 Top 20 Petrolheads: Bernie Ecclestone, the Master of every game
From racer to F1 mogul, Bernie Ecclestone's enduring legacy unfolds at 93. A visionary shaping the sport's future, his story in "BusinessF1."
Who doesn’t know Bernie Ecclestone? Old Bernie, as the man who made Formula One great is called, has in his long life done everything a motorsport enthusiast could dream of doing: from being a driver, a driver’s manager, and the owner of Team Brabham to owning racing circuits, and for nearly 45 years, the undisputed, feared, and respected ruler of Formula One itself. Not only that, he has also assembled the world’s largest and most prestigious collection of vintage Formula One cars. Despite his age, he turns 94 next October, Ecclestone continues to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Formula 1 thanks to his profound understanding of the industry’s key players - including manufacturers, teams, technicians, drivers, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), and Liberty Media, who succeeded him in leading Formula 1. Now he divides his time between his homes in Switzerland, Ibiza, Brazil, and London, when he is not patrolling the decks of his yacht.
Born in Suffolk and relocating to London at the age of 10 during the onset of World War II, Ecclestone found a role model in his father. It was his father who introduced him to the world of racing, taking him to his first Formula 1 Grand Prix at the age of twenty. It was at Silverstone, on Saturday, 13th May 1950, and it was the very first race of the Formula intended to be the pinnacle of motor racing.
