Though it had been a long time coming, Bernie Ecclestone’s demise was swift and definitive, drawing a line under his association with Formula One, encompassing multiple capacities rising six decades.
His retention by the sport’s new owners, Liberty Media, as ‘Chairman Emeritus’ means the 86-year-old won’t be completely lost to Formula One, yet this largely honorary title affords Ecclestone negligible clout in contrast to the dictatorial power he wielded over forty years.
While many will rejoice at the news, having ushered many polarising outcomes in recent years, it is important to acknowledge Ecclestone’s contributions throughout his tenure, many of which have left the sport in considerably superior shape in the long term.
Upon assuming commercial autonomy in the late 1970s, his initial act handed outfits a greater share of the financial spoils at a time when fierce division between constructors and FISA (forerunner to the FIA) – led by Jean-Marie Balestre, was rife. The irony of this outcome in later years isn’t lost on many. Even so, it laid foundation to the consolidation of his power base.
The Briton presided over Formula One’s transition from an obscure television sport, to a series boasting prominent coverage by the late 1990s and despite the nefarious advent of pay television, wall to wall broadcasting has enhanced the viewing experience. ITV’s arrival in 1997 raised the bar, indirectly leading to BBC’s costly re-acquisition of rights in 2009, which precipitated Sky Sports’ controversial though peerless tenure.
Ecclestone introduced the esteemed Professor Sid Watkins to the sport in a permanent capacity, the latter’s authoritative presence immediately expediting the sport’s safety evolution from antiquated and indifferent to pioneering world class standard, case in point none more pertinently than the dark weekend at Imola in 1994.
With his accomplishments come ample memories which have the majority hailing his departure. The now infamous agreement with the FIA at the turn of the century handed unilateral commercial control to Formula One Management for an arbitrary one hundred year term, and it was this outcome which foreshadowed the route the sport would embrace in the modern age.
Selling out to CVC in 2005, Ecclestone condemned Formula One to compromise its integrity and tradition in the name of reaping every dollar on the table. Ticket prices soared, while circuits and nations which had been mainstays from the championship’s formative seasons fell off the calendar.
In their place, many locations with questionable intentions surfaced, many disappearing as rapidly as they appeared, while the majority resembled the last in abjectly mundane nature.
His failure to harness modern technologies and realising trends in timely fashion –only coming around to the concept in recent times, while other global categories were exploiting the immeasurable power to full capacity, was a fatalistic fallacy which drove previously loyal fans to the brink.
Rudimentary concepts such as social media, race footage – outside of increasingly piecemeal season reviews, and basic access to some of the more discreet and nuanced components of the sport were neglected, and often implemented in an anonymous manner.
Bernie Ecclestone gave much and took plenty from Formula One in equal measure, though it’s undeniable that his name will forever be linked to the sport, and it is difficult to fathom another individual exerting themselves as such on the paddock anytime soon, his modest stature an ornamental part of the fabric which made Formula One what it is.
Bayden Westerweller
Roar Guru
Thanks Jawad. He certainly achieved a great deal more in the first half of his tenure, which likely gives rise to the distaste for the man shared by many based on his record in more recent times. History would have looked upon him much more favourably had he vacated in the late 1990's-early 2000's. It's hard not to be enthused by what Ross Brawn offers, there'll be no half measures on his watch, whilst Carey and Bratches provide extensive commercial acumen, displaying signs that they're constantly ahead of the curve unlike their collective predecessor.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Excellent piece Bayden, you've summed up his contributions to the sport just nicely. Some forget, amid their outrage over his antiquated approach to the modern era, the innovation he brought in his early days. Not to mention him being a team owner, which would have given him a unique view upon the sport - rather than having some external individual with no F1 experience whatsoever. All leaders rise and fall. As for the future, it's good to see a figure such as Ross Brawn head up this new leadership group, in a role that sees him address the sporting side of F1. Together with Carey and Bratches, two commercial giants in their own right - there is a chance to see things progress.