 |
||||
|
|
|||
|
||||
|
BERNIE ECCLESTONE | |||
|
 Bernie
Ecclestone is generally credited as being the man who made Formula One what it
is today.He is an astute businessman with an eye for finances, and a passion for motorsport. He aspired to be a racer, but a crash at Brands Hatch put him off, and he tried to qualify for the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix, but never raced competitively again. Instead he turned his hand to management, and managed Stuart Lewis-Evans, and Jochen Rindt, before losing both to fatal crashes. Moving on from these tragedies, he bought the Brabham team in 1972, and formed the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA) along with Frank Williams, Colin Chapman, Teddy Mayer and Max Mosley. In 1978, Ecclestone became Chief Executive of FOCA, with Mosley as his legal advisor. They negotiated in a series of legal issues with the FIA, eventually resulting in Ecclestone's rights for FOCA to negotiate Television and other commercial contracts. He sold Brabham in 1987 to concentrate on his role with FOCA. He also formed the Formula One Promotions and Administration group after securing the commercial right for FOCA. 47% of Television revenues go to the teams, 30% to the FIA, and 23% to FOPA (Ecclestone). He also scripted the 'Concorde Agreement' in 1997, which ensured he maintained TV rights in exchange for additional payments. In 2000 the FIA agreed to lease him the rights for 100 years, making him one of the most powerful men in Formula One. Ecclestone occupied eighth place on the Sunday Times Rich List for 2004, worth an estimated £2.3 Billion. |
|||
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
 |
| Coming soon to Focus F1 |
| Further updates to the Weird and Wonderful section, and an F1 dictionary! |
|
Please remember to check back after every Grand Prix to read our in-depth race reports! |
|
Our Partners |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
