Bernard Ecclestone & family

Bernard Ecclestone & family: Career Highlights

Ecclestone's career in motorsports began in the 1950s when he entered business trading in spare parts for motorcycles. He formed the Compton & Ecclestone motorcycle dealership and acquired a Cooper Mk V in 1951, participating in limited races, mainly at Brands Hatch. After retiring from racing due to several accidents, Ecclestone focused on his business interests.

Ecclestone returned to racing in 1957 as the manager of driver Stuart Lewis-Evans. He purchased two chassis from the disbanded Connaught Formula One team and unsuccessfully tried to qualify a car himself at Monaco in 1958. Ecclestone continued to manage Lewis-Evans until his fatal accident in 1958. He then became the manager of driver Jochen Rindt and a partial owner of Rindt's 1970 Lotus Formula 2 team. Rindt died in a crash at Monza in 1970 but was awarded the championship posthumously.

In 1971, Ecclestone was approached by Ron Tauranac, the owner of the Brabham team. He purchased the entire team for £100,000 and became the team principal.

Under Ecclestone's leadership, Brabham became a successful team, winning two Formula One World Championships with drivers Nelson Piquet in 1981 and 1983. Ecclestone sold the team to Swiss businessman Joachim Luhti in 1988 for over US$5 million.

Ecclestone's involvement in Formula One continued after he sold Brabham. He formed the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA) in 1974 and became increasingly involved in the commercial aspects of the sport. He negotiated television rights and advocated for team control, eventually becoming the chief executive of FOCA in 1978. Ecclestone played a key role in securing the commercial rights for Formula One and establishing the sport as a global business.