Bernard Charles
"Bernie" Ecclestone (born 28 October 1930) is a British business
tycoon. He is president and chief executive of Formula One Management and
Formula One Administration and through his part-possession of Alpha Prema, the
parent company of the Formula One Group of companies. As such, he is usually
considered the chief authority in Formula One racing.
He is most frequently
addressed in tabloid journalism as "F1 Supremo". His early
participation in the sport was as a competitor and then as a manager of drivers
Stuart Lewis-Evans and Jochen Rindt. In 1972, he procured the Brabham team,
which he ran for fifteen years. As a team owner he became a member of the
Formula One Constructors Association.
His control of the sport, which grew up
from his pioneering the sale of television rights in the late 1970s, is
primarily monetary, but under the terms of the Concorde Agreement he and his
companies also run the administration, setup and logistics of each Formula One
Grand Prix. Ecclestone entered two Grand Prix races as a driver, all through
the 1958 season, but fell short to succeed for either of them.
