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Bernie Ecclestone: Why F1's titanic leader was loved and loathed
Source: BBC
Bernie Ecclestone: Why F1's titanic leader was loved and loathed
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
23 January 2017 Formula 1
Bernie Ecclestone stands a little under 5ft 3in tall but for 40 years has wielded a giant influence in Formula 1 with canniness, wit and not a little menace.
At times, Ecclestone has had close to absolute power. So the end of his reign following the takeover of the sport by US giant Liberty Media represents a seismic change.
Ecclestone, now 86, is a tactician of remarkable skill, and a deal-maker extraordinaire who used chutzpah and brinksmanship to turn F1 into one of the world's biggest sports, form relationships with world leaders such as Russian president Vladimir Putin and make himself and many of F1's participants multi-millionaires.
In a remarkable four decades, Ecclestone revolutionised the sport:
• He bought the Brabham team and won two world titles, including a historic first with a turbo engine in 1983.
• Turned F1 into the biggest annual sporting event in the world, outstripped only by the Olympics and the World Cup.
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By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
23 January 2017 Formula 1
Bernie Ecclestone stands a little under 5ft 3in tall but for 40 years has wielded a giant influence in Formula 1 with canniness, wit and not a little menace.
At times, Ecclestone has had close to absolute power. So the end of his reign following the takeover of the sport by US giant Liberty Media represents a seismic change.
Ecclestone, now 86, is a tactician of remarkable skill, and a deal-maker extraordinaire who used chutzpah and brinksmanship to turn F1 into one of the world's biggest sports, form relationships with world leaders such as Russian president Vladimir Putin and make himself and many of F1's participants multi-millionaires.
In a remarkable four decades, Ecclestone revolutionised the sport:
• He bought the Brabham team and won two world titles, including a historic first with a turbo engine in 1983.
• Turned F1 into the biggest annual sporting event in the world, outstripped only by the Olympics and the World Cup.
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Read more: http://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/38721123
