Editing Bernie Ecclestone (section)

{{short description|British business magnate (born 1930)}}
{{redirect|Ecclestone|the surname|Ecclestone (surname)}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Bernie Ecclestone
| image              = Bernie Ecclestone 2012 Bahrain (cropped).jpg
| caption            = Ecclestone at the [[2012 Bahrain Grand Prix]]
| image_size         = 
| birth_name         = Bernard Charles Ecclestone
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1930|10|28|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[St Peter South Elmham]], [[Suffolk]], England
| nationality        = 
| years_active       = 1950–present
| occupation         = {{hlist|
| Business magnate
| motorsport executive
| racing driver
}}
| known_for          = Founder and [[CEO]] of the [[Formula One Group]] (1987–2017)
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Ivy Bamford|1952|1967|end=div}}
* {{marriage|[[Slavica Ecclestone|Slavica Radić]]|1985|2009|end=div}}
* {{marriage|Fabiana Flosi|2012}}
}}
| children           = 4, including [[Tamara Ecclestone|Tamara]] and [[Petra Ecclestone|Petra]]
| module             =
{{Infobox F1 driver|embed=yes
| nationality        =  {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Formula One drivers from the United Kingdom|British]]
| Years              = {{F1|1958}}
|Team(s)             = ''Privateer'' [[Connaught Engineering|Connaught]]
| Races              = 2 (0 starts)
| Championships      = 0
| Wins               = 0
| Podiums            = 0
| Points             = 0
| Poles              = 0
| Fastest laps       = 0
| First race         = [[1958 Monaco Grand Prix]]
| Last race          = [[1958 British Grand Prix]]
}}}}

'''Bernard Charles Ecclestone''' (born 28 October 1930) is a British [[business magnate]], [[motorsport]] executive and former [[racing driver]]. Widely known in journalism as the "'''F1 Supremo'''",{{efn|Per several sources: <ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/may/15/bernie-ecclestone-f1-bribery-charges |title=Bernie Ecclestone F1 future under cloud as bribery charges are prepared |work=The Guardian |date=15 May 2013 |access-date=25 June 2013 |first=Paul |last=Weaver |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing/mark-webber-v-sebastian-vettel-clash-f1-supremo-bernie-ecclestone-unhappy-with-red-bulls-tactics-8549651.html |title=Mark Webber v Sebastian Vettel clash: F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone unhappy with Red Bull's tactics |work=The Independent |date=26 March 2013 |access-date=25 June 2013 |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.news.com.au/money/money-matters/the-fast-life-of-bernie-ecclestone/story-e6frfmd9-1226559949154 |title=The fast life of 'F1 Supremo' Bernie Ecclestone |publisher=News Limited Network |date=23 January 2012 |access-date=25 June 2013 |first=Maria |last=Bervanakis |archive-date=17 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517233347/http://www.news.com.au/money/money-matters/the-fast-life-of-bernie-ecclestone/story-e6frfmd9-1226559949154 |url-status=dead }}</ref>}} Ecclestone founded the [[Formula One Group]] in 1987,{{efn|Founded as ''Formula One Promotions and Administration'' (FOPA), and later known as ''Formula One Management'' (FOM).}} controlling the commercial rights to [[Formula One]] until 2017.

Born in [[Suffolk]] and raised in [[Bexleyheath]], Ecclestone began his business career trading automotive parts after [[World War II]]. He started racing in [[Formula Three]] in 1949, winning multiple races at [[Brands Hatch]] driving a [[Cooper Mk V]]. After purchasing two [[Connaught Engineering|Connaught]] chassis in {{F1|1958}}, Ecclestone entered the [[1958 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]] and [[1958 British Grand Prix|British]] Grands Prix in Formula One as a [[privateer (motorsport)|privateer]], but did not qualify at either. He then became a driver manager for [[Stuart Lewis-Evans]] and [[Jochen Rindt]], the latter winning the [[World Drivers' Championship]] posthumously in {{F1|1970}}. Ecclestone purchased [[Brabham]] in {{F1|1972}}—which he operated for 15 years—leading the team to 22 victories, as well as two World Drivers' Championship titles with [[Nelson Piquet]]. He co-founded the [[Formula One Constructors' Association]] two years later, leading them through the [[FISA–FOCA war]]. 

Ecclestone's control of the sport, which grew from his pioneering sale of [[F1TV|television rights]] in the late-1970s, was primarily financial; under the terms of the [[Concorde Agreement]] in 1987, Ecclestone and [[Formula One Group|his companies]] also controlled the administration, setup and logistics of each [[Formula One Grands Prix|Formula One Grand Prix]]. He also founded [[International Sportsworld Communicators]] in 1996, controlling the commercial rights to the [[World Rally Championship]] until 2000. He placed fifth on the [[Sunday Times Rich List|''Sunday Times'' Rich List]] in 2002, and [[List of people who have declined a British honour|declined]] both a [[CBE]] and a [[knighthood]] from [[Elizabeth II]]. He co-owned [[association football]] club [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|Queens Park Rangers]] with [[Flavio Briatore]] from 2007 to 2011, overseeing [[2010–11 Queens Park Rangers F.C. season|their promotion]] to the [[Premier League]]. He sold the Formula One Group to [[Liberty Media]] in 2017, subsequently being appointed as chairman ''[[emeritus]]'' and adviser to the board of directors until his departure in 2020.

Over his four-decade career as an executive in Formula One, Ecclestone was involved in [[#Controversies|several controversies]]. With the birth of his son in 2020, he became the [[List of oldest fathers|sixth-oldest father in human history]], aged 89. In October 2023, he was convicted of [[tax fraud]] at [[Southwark Crown Court]], and agreed to pay [[HM Revenue and Customs]] over {{currency|650|GBP}} million in [[back taxes]] and penalties; he was sentenced to 17 months in prison, [[suspended sentence#United Kingdom|suspended]] for two years.