Bernie Ecclestone Facts for Kids

"Ecclestone" redirects here. For the surname, see Ecclestone (surname).

Quick facts for kids Bernie Ecclestone
Ecclestone at the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix
Born	Bernard Charles Ecclestone (1930-10-28) 28 October 1930 (age 94) St Peter South Elmham, Suffolk, England
Occupation	Business magnate motorsport executive racing driver
Years active	1950–present
Known for	Founder and CEO of the Formula One Group (1987–2017)
Spouse(s)	Ivy Bamford (m. 1952; div. 1967) Slavica Radić (m. 1985; div. 2009) Fabiana Flosi (m. 2012)
Children	4, including Tamara and Petra

Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	British
Active years	1958
Teams	Privateer Connaught
Entries	2 (0 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1958 Monaco Grand Prix
Last entry	1958 British Grand Prix

Early Life and First Steps
Motorsports Journey
Personal Life
Complete Formula One World Championship Results
Awards and Honours
- Orders and Special Awards
  - Honorary Degrees
- Other
Images for kids
See also

Bernard Charles Ecclestone (born 28 October 1930) is a British businessman and former racing driver. He is best known for being the "F1 Supremo". This means he was the main person in charge of Formula One for a long time.

Bernie Ecclestone founded the Formula One Group in 1987. This company managed the business side of Formula One until 2017. He helped turn Formula One into a huge global sport.

He was born in Suffolk, England, and grew up in Bexleyheath. After World War II, he started his career by selling car parts. He also raced cars himself in the early days.

Early Life and First Steps

Bernie Ecclestone was born on 28 October 1930. His family lived in a small village called St Peter South Elmham. Later, they moved to Bexleyheath in London when he was eight years old.

He left school at 16 to work in a chemical lab. He also studied chemistry and enjoyed his hobby of motorcycles.

Motorsports Journey

Starting Out in Racing

After World War II, Bernie started a business selling motorcycle parts. He also began racing cars in 1949 in a series called 500cc Formula 3. He even won some races at Brands Hatch.

He stopped racing for a while after some accidents. He wanted to focus on his growing businesses.

Becoming a Team Manager

Bernie returned to racing in 1957. He became the manager for a driver named Stuart Lewis-Evans. He even tried to race in Formula One himself in 1958, but he didn't qualify for the main race.

Later, he became friends with another driver, Jochen Rindt. Bernie helped manage Rindt's Formula 2 team. Sadly, Rindt passed away in a crash in 1970, but he still won the World Championship that year.

Leading the Brabham Team

In 1971, Bernie Ecclestone bought the Brabham Formula One team. He paid about £100,000 for it. He wanted to make Brabham a top team in Formula One.

He hired a talented designer named Gordon Murray. Together, they made Brabham a very successful team. They won 22 races and two World Drivers' Championships with driver Nelson Piquet.

Bernie Ecclestone (right) with Carlos Reutemann at the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix

Brabham used different engines over the years, including Alfa Romeo and BMW. The team was very competitive until 1985. Bernie sold the Brabham team in 1988 for over $5 million.

Becoming the Formula One Leader

While owning Brabham, Bernie also started to get involved in managing Formula One as a whole. In 1974, he helped create the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA). This group represented the teams.

Bernie became the chief executive of FOCA in 1978. He worked with Max Mosley to handle legal matters and important deals for the sport. One of his biggest achievements was getting the rights to negotiate TV contracts for Formula One races.

He set up a system where money from TV rights was shared. Teams got 47%, the FIA (the sport's governing body) got 30%, and Bernie's company got 23%. This helped make Formula One very profitable.

Bernie also brought in Sid Watkins as the official Formula One medical doctor in 1978. After a crash, Watkins pushed for better safety measures, which Bernie supported. This led to big improvements in safety in Formula One over the years.

Bernie's companies also managed how each Grand Prix was set up and organized. He was in charge of many parts of Formula One for decades.

In 2017, Bernie Ecclestone sold the Formula One Group to a company called Liberty Media. He then became an adviser until 2020.

Other Interests

In 1996, Bernie's company, International Sportsworld Communicators, gained rights to broadcast other motorsport events, like the World Rally Championship. He later sold this company.

Bernie also owned the football club Queens Park Rangers (QPR) with Flavio Briatore. They bought the club in 2007. In 2010, Bernie became the main owner. They sold their shares in QPR in 2011.

Personal Life

Bernie Ecclestone is known for being a very wealthy person. In 2002, he was listed as one of the richest people in the United Kingdom. He once sold a house in London for over £57 million.

He has been married three times. He has four children, including daughters Tamara and Petra. In 2020, he had a son, becoming one of the oldest known fathers.

He has received some special awards and honors, including from Austria and Monaco. He also received an honorary degree from Imperial College London.