BERNIE ECCLESTONE is the former boss of Formula One, and one of the UK’s richest men.
The mogul has admitted to fraud after hiding over £400m—here’s what we know about the F1 boss and the tax charges.
Who is Bernie Ecclestone and what’s his net worth?
Bernie Ecclestone’s name is synonymous with Formula One,through which he has amassed a huge fortune.
He has been ranked 73rd on The Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated £2.5 billion fortune.
On October 12 2023 Ecclestone pleaded guilty to fraud after failing to declare more than £400 million of overseas assets at Southwark Crown Court.
He’s been married three times, to Ivy Bamford, Slavica Radic, and his current wife Fabiana Flosi.
But despite Ecclestone’s fortune and F1’s association with opulence and luxury he had humble beginnings.
The son of a Suffolk fisherman, Ecclestone was born on October 28, 1930.
After World War 2 he got his first job at a gasworks testing gas purity.
Ecclestone’s first foray into motorsport was trading spare parts for motorcycles before he get involved with car racing in 1949, driving Formula 3 series cars.
In 1958 he entered two Grand Prix races as a driver—the Monaco and British Grand Prix—but ultimately failed to qualify.
Bernie Eccleston has become synonymous with the opulence and luxury of F1, but he came from a humble background in SuffolkReuters
Ecclestone withdrew from racing cars himself after a few accidents.
He returned to motorsport in a management role, buying Brabham in 1971, after making successful property investments.
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He was involved in team ownership until 1988.
Ecclestone formed the Constructors Association in 1974 and became chief executive of the company four years later.
Holding this position put him right at the top of Formula One for almost forty years—Ecclestone ultimately turned F1 into a multi-billion-dollar business.
Ecclestone gave a highly controversial interview on Good Morning Britain in June 2022 in which he said he would “take a bullet” for Russian president Vladimir Putin.
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Later apologising for his comments on the Russian president, Ecclestone told Sky Sports News: “I think often people come out and say things or do things without really too much thinking. Probably I did the same.
“I can understand people thinking I’m defending what he’s done in Ukraine, which I don’t.
“I was brought up during the war, the last war, so I know what it’s like.
“So I feel sorry for the people in Ukraine having to suffer for something they haven’t done.”
He added: “I’m sorry if anything I’ve said has upset anybody because it certainly wasn’t intended.”
How much did Bernie Ecclestone sell Formula 1 for?
After years at the helm, the F1 tycoon sold the commercial rights of Formula 1 to Liberty Media in January 2017 following his approval from the sport’s governing body.
The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) said its partnership with Liberty would “ensure the continued success and development” of F1.
It bought just over 18 per cent of the shares in Delta Topco, the holding company of the F1 Group, back in September 2016, in a deal that cost the American company £6.4billion.
Ecclestone was replaced by Chase Carey, an American executive famous for his trademark moustache.
Carey stepped down as CEO in 2021 and was replaced by Stephano Domenicali.
Getty – Contributor Bernie and wife Fabiana Flosi[/caption]
Is Bernie married and how many children does he have?
Eccleston is the father to four children in total—three daughters, and a son.
His eldest daughter, Deborah, from his first marriage to Ivy, was born in 1955.
Tamara is Ecclestone’s oldest daughter from his second marriage to Croatian model Slavica.
Born on June 28, 1984, Tamara has constantly been in the limelight, working as a model and TV host.
The 39-year-old has been married to Jay Rutland since 2013 and the couple have two daughters, Sophia, born in 2014, and Serena, born in 2020.
Ecclestone’s second daughter with Slavica, Petra, wasborn on December 19, 1988.
Petra has three children with former husband James Stunt—Lavinia, born in February 2013, and twins James and Andrew, born in April 2015.
She also gave birth to a daughter in 2020 with fiancé Sam Palmer.
Eccleston has a son, Ace, from his marriage to his current wife Fabiana Flosi, who he married in 2012.
The former F1 bos was 89 when their son was born on July 1, 2020.
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