Bernie Ecclestone showed Kimi Raikkonen before the Bahrain Grand Prix that he still has a very firm grip on the control of Formula One. But he is 81-years-old now and that grip won’t last forever. So what happens when Bernie retires?
Will the sport be better off without the cantankerous old so and so? More importantly, has the sport got a bona fide plan in place to succeed one of the sporting world’s most ruthless and effective leaders?
Established F1 photographer Darren Heath has gathered his thoughts away from the viewfinder and suggested there is more to Bernie than an insatiable appetite for money. Least of all his ability to get his own way.
Each and every time one or more parties is linked with purchasing the rights to F1, Ecclestone appears to either out-think or out-flank the suitors for his prize. As yet he has remained at least one step ahead of the game.
The genesis for Ecclestone’s dominance in F1 lies with his former role as team owner of Brabham in the 1970s and 80s. He understands the sport.
Bernie – for his sins – is at heart a racing man through and through, competing behind the wheel long before he realised the sport’s commercial potential. Though he may appear cold, heartless and sometimes old-fashioned, just below the hard-edged exterior is a man who loves ‘his’ sport and (most of) those in it.
Eventually, though, Bernie will have to yield. What then?
No major investor – once the Ecclestone era ends – is going to care one iota about the sport and what it means to you and me. He, she or they will of course care about turning a rapidly realised profit – and a healthy one at that.
20 grands prix a year will seem like child’s play once we’ve got NASCAR-like 34- race schedules to enjoy… And don’t expect any of it to be on terrestrial TV.
It’s well worth reading Darren Heath’s full observations. Follow the source link below for more.
[Source: darrenheath.com | Pic: LAT Photographic]