Bernie Ecclestone

[Red Schneider]

What do people mean, F1 sells itself? Bernie has been instrumental in this:

James Allen

The last 10 years has been a period of great expansion of the business; F1′s revenues have doubled since 2003 from $604 million a year to $1.22 billion while payments made to the teams have gone from $543 million in 2009 to $698 million last year.

Do you think racing in France and Portugal would have produced these numbers?

He's had a big hand in selling F1 to new parts of the world in the last 15 years. Of course mistakes will be made but this is part of laying the foundation for a truly global business, and empty seats at a few races are a small price to pay in the long term. The biggest complaint is probably that the teams should own a much greater share of the business.

I really didn't expect to take this side of the debate, but meh. Debating is fun.

[xpensive]

If you consider ripping-off taxpayers and fans as "business", sure, the man is a genius.

[bhall]

F1 brings in $1.22 billion and those who do all the work, i.e. the teams, only receive a bit more than half? OK.

$500 million a year is a hell of a lot of money for a glorified middle man, especially when there's no way FOM's overhead is remotely close to even half of that amount.

The good news is that middle men in general are going the way of the dinosaurs, and Ecclestone knows it, too. F1's IPO is the gilded parachute he and CVC will use to gently deposit themselves into the world of the obsolete.

[xpensive]

...
$500 million a year is a hell of a lot of money for a glorified middle man, especially when there's no way FOM's overhead is remotely close to even half of that amount.
...

Makes Don King look like someone working pro bono, doesn't it?

[bhall]

The image of Don King is exactly what popped into my mind.

[xpensive]

The image of Don King is exactly what popped into my mind.

Their respective hairdo is somewhat different, otherwise I guess they might have a few things to talk about?

[bhall]

I imagine them having a nice dinner and then waiting several years in uncomfortable silence for the other to pick up the check. It would be a miserly battle for the ages.

For the sake of balance, what has Ecclestone done that was worthwhile? Seriously.

[xpensive]

I imagine them having a nice dinner and then waiting several years in uncomfortable silence for the other to pick up the check. It would be a miserly battle for the ages.

For the sake of balance, what has Ecclestone done that was worthwhile? Seriously.

Other than abandoning the Brabham team, looting Formula One and loosing half of it to the cr**tian mob, let's see...

[Red Schneider]

F1 brings in $1.22 billion and those who do all the work, i.e. the teams, only receive a bit more than half? OK.

$500 million a year is a hell of a lot of money for a glorified middle man, especially when there's no way FOM's overhead is remotely close to even half of that amount.

The good news is that middle men in general are going the way of the dinosaurs, and Ecclestone knows it, too. F1's IPO is the gilded parachute he and CVC will use to gently deposit themselves into the world of the obsolete.

But this is more of a beef with CVC than Ecclestone. Of course the teams should receive a greater share. Ecclestone has grown the business. CVC has benefited from it. Is this Ecclestone's fault? Unless I'm missing something, he could have done the same job if the teams owned the lion's share.

As for ripping off taxpayers, I don't see why the salesman should be blamed. No one blames Roger Goodell for what went down in Minnesota recently.

[xpensive]

You troll of trolls RS , you know as well as anyone that MrE sold the commercial rights for a number of gigabucks, after Kirsch and what not, to CVC and the poor SOBs have to keep up the revenues only to pay interest on that very purchase?

Crime of the century if you ask me.

[bhall]

Isn't Ecclestone chairman of CVC anyway? Or rather was he chairman before Peter Bruback?

[Red Schneider]

@x

No, I'm not a troll. I'm just ignorant. I don't know the details you speak of. I know he's a wheeler-dealer but to say he has done nothing worthwhile struck me as hyperbole, so I decided to jump in.

You two know more than I in this matter. Fair enough.

[Pup]

Isn't Ecclestone chairman of CVC anyway? Or rather was he chairman before Peter Bruback?

I think he's got a seat on the board, but I don't think he's ever been the headmost honcho.

[Pup]

For the sake of balance, what has Ecclestone done that was worthwhile? Seriously.

Took me a while: he hired Gordon Murray, didn't he?

...and then handed him an Alfa engine.

[xpensive]

Wiki is as usual your friend, the way I understand it, MrE is hired by CVC to run certain parts of the business.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CVC_Capital_Partners

@RS: I'm sorry if I got your input wrong, I thought you were trying to raise the debate, nothing wrong with that of course.

@ Pup: Which one of them, the way I understand it, all of Carlo Chiti's creations were individual in every respect?