CEO Formula One Group Bernie Ecclestone – The master of sparking controversies
Experts would say that Formula One has probably sprouted and hatched more controversies than any other sport in the world. The argument is supported with facts that these controversies ranged from unsportsmanlike behaviour between teams, deliberate rules infringement by drivers and darting comments and criticism at each other.
Just to recount a few of those moments, Michael Schumacher deliberately crashed his car into another rival to win a championship while the other was disqualified from the race; Flavio Briatore planned and executed a crash for one Renault driver so that the other driver could win, McLaren was involved in an espionage scandal due to which they were disqualified from Constructors’ Championship while Fernando Alonso blamed the FIA for race manipulation and he was made to apologize, prove that statement.
Studying the history of the sport will reveal that whenever a driver, a manufacturer, a license holder, a team owner or a member of the National Motorsport Authority was involved in any controversy, he was slapped with a penalty. However, it seems that there is one person who seems to get away with anything he does, and as a matter of fact, he does whatever he pleases.
The President and CEO of Formula One’s management and administration, Bernie Ecclestone has been involved in the biggest of controversies on and off the field and yet he stands firm. It was the year 1997 when Britain’s Labour Party won the General Elections and put a ban on tobacco advertising. Major tobacco brands like Marlboro, West, Benson and Hedges, Rothmans and Mild Seven were heavily branding Formula One cars in those days and their removal from the sport would result in the loss of 200,000 jobs and £900 million in exports. Formula One was not ready for such a major setback and it was soon announced by the Labour Party that Formula One Racing would be exempted from the ban. Later, it was revealed that the Labour Party received £1 million in donations from Bernie Ecclestone to revise its decision.
Ecclestone has also been involved in statements against women too. In 2000, the Formula One boss said that women can never excel in Formula One racing and in 2005, while speaking about IndyCar racer Danica Patrick; he had said that women should be dressed in white like all other domestic appliances. When he was made to apologize to Patrick, he simply repeated his comments.
At the end of 2008 season, he proposed some changes to Formula One season including budgets cuts to the tune of £40 million for all Formula One cars. Manufacturers like Ferrari and McLaren, that had spent over £200 million on an annual basis rejected the idea to which Ecclestone suggested that the two manufacturers should leave the sport. It was after Formula One Teams’ Association (FOTA) which threatened to quit Formula One and all manufacturers decided to set-up their own version of racing under FOTA that Ecclestone withdrew his decision.
In 2009, the Formula One boss came under fire for yet another reason. In an interview, he presented his opinion about Hitler saying that the dictator was persuaded to do horrible things which he may or may not have wanted but he had it in him to command a lot of people. Ecclestone further said that democracy does no good and that England was a prime example. Consequently, the World Jewish Congress demanded his resignation to which he said that the Jews should first sort out their banks while hinting towards the global financial crunch.
Ecclestone loves sparking controversies and quite recently, he said, “If there are no fires we’ll light our own.” There is currently a major disagreement between Ecclestone and FOTA regarding circuit advertising. He is of the opinion that teams are putting sponsorship on the property that belongs to Formula One and said that it is as undesirable to him as it would be to the teams if he displayed his ads on their cars. Ecclestone further said that he is not on a collision course with FOTA but it is the teams that are bound to fight amongst themselves.
Bernie Ecclestone believes that the unity shown by FOTA members is a farce and they can never be together in letter and spirit as long as they are competitors. This is expected to generate another wave of animosity between the teams and the big boss. The 79-year old is not concerned about what he says and what he does. When asked how he will be remembered once he leaves the sport, he said’ “I don’t care what people think.”
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