F1 2025 Guide - Bernie Ecclestone: "F1 must remain exceptional!"

Present from the very beginnings of the premier category, the man who would become a distinguished team boss and, above all, the builder of modern Formula 1, evokes the past for us and casts his ever-sharp eye on the discipline he shaped from the height of his 94 years. With "Mister E", it is therefore 75 years of F1 history that speak to you.

Published 26/02/2025 à 12:40

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F1 2025 Guide – Bernie Ecclestone: “F1 must remain exceptional!”

Hello Mr. Ecclestone. What is your first memory related to the F1 ?

Wow, we're not getting any younger! Probably at the very first World Championship Grand Prix, at Silverstone, in May 1950. That's what my memory tells me, anyway. I was 20 years old, and I was there to compete in a race of Formula 3 500cc to open the event. There were all sorts of people there, stars of the day and royalty including King George VI, the Queen and Princess Margaret. It was a big event, with a record crowd. We were talking about 3 people at the time… Just one thing before we continue our discussion: call me Bernie.

So Bernie, where did your passion for motorsport come from? Was it a family legacy?

No, a thousand miles from that! My father was a fisherman in Suffolk (county in eastern England. Ed.) It was the post-war period and we were short of everything. To make a bit of money, I bought pretty much everything that was available: pens, cameras, etc. Then I sold them. I was a merchant; this taste for business came to me at a very young age! I used to take the train to go to school. I took a big suitcase with me, because near the station, there was this bakery where I bought all sorts of cakes, as many as I could in order to resell them at recess. I opened my suitcase and sold my cakes. It was not my first deal, but perhaps one of the most profitable. (Laughs) In the second half of the 1940s I went into the motorcycle parts business. I set up the dealership 'Compton & Ecclestone' with Fred Compton, so it wasn't my first attempt at it. All that to say, I wasn't a motorsport fan, but a car salesman. Then I started racing motorcycles, meeting all sorts of people and had my first experience on four wheels in 1949, in a 3cc Formula 500.

Did you have any ambition to become a professional pilot?

No, it was just for fun! I only took part in a limited number of races, mainly at a local circuit, Brands Hatch. I got several good places, but I also had several accidents, until I stopped to concentrate on business.