Bernie Ecclestone

[JimClarkFan]

I'm not up to date with the history of F1 and Bernie, but he seems to have done both good and bad things for F1.

If you where to rate his performance as the leader of F1, and his impact on F1 how would you score him? Has his impact been good, does his personnel affairs bring him and by proxy F1 into disrepute. Does any of this even matter if F1 continues to grow and perform well?

My own personal opinion is mixed, the man seems to have a bit of a shady history and I don't really like him as a person. However I'm not sure that someone else, with less reputation and less international clout could drive the F1 franchise forward in the manner he has done.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

F1 sells itself. Look at Bernie's disastrous expansion policy....empty grandstands in far flung territories...and France nor Portugal or South Africa have GP. Countries where you could sell out.
Bernie drives a deal for himself and doesn't give a monkeys about F1or the fans.

Why?
Look at his past record for that.

F1 succeeds in spite of Bernie Ecclestone.

[Pup]

I've always thought that F1's resurgence was primarily due to Mosley making Group C inhospitable to the manufacturers, sending them all rushing to his friend Bernie and F1. It was then the presence of the manufacturers that brought back the fans, the TV deals, new circuits, etc. Whether that was all an evil plot by Bernie and Max, or just plain luck, is just another reason F1 is such a great playground for the conspiracy enthusiasts.

[xpensive]

I've always thought that F1's resurgence was primarily due to Mosley making Group C inhospitable to the manufacturers, sending them all rushing to his friend Bernie and F1. It was then the presence of the manufacturers that brought back the fans, the TV deals, new circuits, etc. Whether that was all an evil plot by Bernie and Max, or just plain luck, is just another reason F1 is such a great playground for the conspiracy enthusiasts.

Priceless Pup, worth a point!

[SeijaKessen]

I've always thought that F1's resurgence was primarily due to Mosley making Group C inhospitable to the manufacturers, sending them all rushing to his friend Bernie and F1. It was then the presence of the manufacturers that brought back the fans, the TV deals, new circuits, etc. Whether that was all an evil plot by Bernie and Max, or just plain luck, is just another reason F1 is such a great playground for the conspiracy enthusiasts.

Bernie and Max have done a ton of underhanded things in their lives. You forgot the other one of the Musketeers; Balestre.

[clarkiesyeah]

Bernie Ecclestone. An evil, despicable creature shuffling towards a legacy conceived in a desolate landscape, devoid of moral responsibility.

That about covers it for me.

[strad]

Bernie Ecclestone. An evil, despicable creature shuffling towards a legacy conceived in a desolate landscape, devoid of moral responsibility.

Yeah that about covers it for me too. He ruined F1 for personal gain.

[raymondu999]

I can understand why people dislike the guy, and I (generally) cannot disagree with the reasons put forth.

But find a guy who will do the job Bernie does and not exploit it for his own wallet, then we'll talk.

On a more personal note, being an entrepreneur I have a soft spot for other rich people whose wallets are self-made, and I admire him every bit for his business nous.

[bhall]

Didn't Ecclestone start off as a loan shark or something of that nature?

[raymondu999]

I think he sold motorcycles or their spare parts or some such.

[mx_tifoso]

Wiki to teh rescue:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Ecc ... Early_life

I love Bernie, tbh. He could have done many things a lot better and with a sustainable and "humane" approach, but oh well.

[bhall]

I find the man repugnant. As JET said, F1 sells itself. Ecclestone's contribution the equation seems to be little more than a willingness to accept the highest bidder's money, no matter where it comes from and no matter what he has to do to acquire it. That doesn't necessarily make him different from other business leaders, but his particular dealings have given more than enough reason for alarm.

I suppose the true test will be in the health of F1 once he's out of the frame.

[SeijaKessen]

I find the man repugnant. As JET said, F1 sells itself. Ecclestone's contribution the equation seems to be little more than a willingness to accept the highest bidder's money, no matter where it comes from and no matter what he has to do to acquire it. That doesn't necessarily make him different from other business leaders, but his particular dealings have given more than enough reason for alarm.

I suppose the true test will be in the health of F1 once he's out of the frame.

I feel Ecclestone did a great job of creating this idea that for F1 to be financially successful, he has to be negotiating all of the fees. He'll tap someone to fill his role I am sure ---if he hasn't already--- because that's the one thing that whole core group has done; handpick their successors.

[Nando]

There´s no other person in the world that can speak to media as Bernie does. He is the undisputed king when it comes to keeping the media in the mist

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWqE7LMLODs[/youtube]

[xpensive]

MrE's genius, or stroke of luck, was in ousting a rather unpopular and pompous JM Balestre in favor of his cohort MrM.

After that was completed in 1991-93, the looting could begin and here we are with a spec series at 300 USD per seat.

Funny how his accent reeks of "new money" btw.