zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
Bernie Ecclestone Is Reportedly Out At Formula One [UPDATE: It's Official]
Bernie Ecclestone Is Reportedly Out At Formula One [UPDATE: It's Official]-May 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:26

Longtime Formula One impresario Bernie Ecclestone has been forced to resign from his leadership position over by the sport’s new owners Liberty Media, reports . New F1 chairman Chase Carey has taken over his former responsibilities.

Ecclestone told Auto Motor und Sport, as translated by Google:

I was deposed today. Just go away. This is official. I do not run the company anymore. My position has been taken over by Chase Carey.

Carey was announced as Formula One’s new chairman right after Liberty Media announced their purchase of the sport. This change means that he will fulfill the duties of both the chairman and CEO.

Ecclestone’s departure means that others will now handle contracts with race organizers and broadcasters, as well as serve as a political liaison between teams, the FIA, and other stakeholders.

It is understood that Liberty Media wants to divide Ecclestone’s former responsibilities among multiple people. Auto Motor und Sport and both report that ex-Ferrari and Mercedes head is still in the picture to fill a leadership role over F1's sporting side. Former sales and marketing executive Sean Bratches is expected to take over F1's commercial side, per Motorsport.com.

Ecclestone also confirmed to Auto Motor und Sport that he was offered the position of “Honorary President,” to keep him around for his years of experience and expertise with the sport, however, he is not sure what this means, and it’s clear that it lacks much power. Ecclestone said, as translated by Google:

My new position is now such an American expression. A kind of honorary president. I’ll get this title without knowing what it means.

Ecclestone is 86 years old, and has served in a leadership role over Formula One for over 40 years.

Liberty Media and Formula One have yet to confirm the change, with an official confirmation not expected until Tuesday, per Motorsport.com. The FIA just approved of F1's sale to Liberty Media at a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council .

: Formula One has that Liberty Media’s purchase of Formula One is complete, and that Bernie Ecclestone will be moving to a Chairman Emeritus role:

Liberty Media Corporation and Delta Topco, the parent company of Formula 1 announced today that Liberty Media has completed its previously announced acquisition of F1, the iconic global motorsports business, from a consortium of sellers. F1 has appointed Chase Carey as Chief Executive Officer of F1, in addition to his existing role as Chairman, and Bernie Ecclestone as Chairman Emeritus of F1. Bernie Ecclestone, who has given valuable service to F1 over many years, will be available as a source of advice for the board of F1.

Today, Liberty acquired 100 percent of the shares in Formula One, which represent an enterprise value for F1 of $8 billion. As part of the transaction, the Liberty Media Group will be renamed the Formula One Group, to be traded under the ticker symbol FWON. You can read more about the financial particulars of the sale .

Bernie had complimentary words for his successors in Formula One’s announcement:

I’m proud of the business that I built over the last 40 years and all that I have achieved with Formula 1, and would like to thank all of the promoters, teams, sponsors and television companies that I have worked with. I’m very pleased that the business has been acquired by Liberty and that it intends to invest in the future of F1. I am sure that Chase will execute his role in a way that will benefit the sport.

Additionally, Liberty Media President and CEO Greg Maffei and new F1 Chairman and CEO Chase Carey will appear on the CNBC show Squawk Box at 7:00 a.m. ET Tuesday morning to discuss the sale.

: Formula One also the addition of Ross Brawn as Managing Director, Motor Sports, and of Sean Bratches as Managing Director, Commercial Operations.

Brawn is well-known in the Formula One world, having played a role in numerous world championships with Ferrari, Benetton, Williams and BrawnGP—the latter of which became the Mercedes F1 team that has dominated the past few seasons. Brawn has been acting as a to Liberty Media throughout the sale of F1.

Bratches’ last job was as the Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for ESPN, and he brings over 27 years of commercial-side experience to the role.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
Get Ready To Spend All Your Money On Retro Formula 1 Merch
Get Ready To Spend All Your Money On Retro Formula 1 Merch
Fellow nerds, get ready to open your wallets, because I’ve found what may be the greatest store of all time. With designs from Formula 1 teams like , you’re sure to find something that fits your particular nostalgic niche. I’d like to introduce you to Racing Retro. I first...
May 3, 2025
Race Team Would Rather Create A Fake AI Woman Rather Than Hire A Real One
Race Team Would Rather Create A Fake AI Woman Rather Than Hire A Real One
In another unsurprising example of motorsport’s inhospitable mindset toward hiring competent women, the Racing team has announced a new partnership with Ava Rose, a literal , who will... engage with fans? Share knowledge about technology? “Navigate the cutting edge of innovation to create positive change” (whatever that means)? I...
May 3, 2025
After Delivering 8 Seasons At The Back Of The Grid, Haas F1 Team Dumps Guenther Steiner
After Delivering 8 Seasons At The Back Of The Grid, Haas F1 Team Dumps Guenther Steiner
The partially North Carolina-based squad has determined that after , it needs to mix things up a little. The team’s firebrand has been following an abysmal 2023 season which saw the team score just four points-paying finishes. The team’s , where scored a fourth-place finish, but that season too...
May 3, 2025
Listen To In-Car Audio From Race Cars While You Work
Listen To In-Car Audio From Race Cars While You Work
If you follow racing in the U.S., you probably already know about the . Most of the episodes are too much of a distraction to put on as background noise while you work, but a couple of recent entries in his series have been working incredibly well for me....
May 3, 2025
Local Businesses Want Compensation After Allegedly Losing Money During Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
Local Businesses Want Compensation After Allegedly Losing Money During Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
If you listen to Formula 1 or local officials from Las Vegas and Clark County, you’d probably think November’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix was a success. Some sources estimated that the city of Las Vegas made over $1 billion in revenue from the event — but there were...
May 3, 2025
You've Probably Never Heard Of The Coolest Canadian Car Ever Built
You've Probably Never Heard Of The Coolest Canadian Car Ever Built
Name a car from the early 1960s built by a famed racing driver with curvy, lightweight aluminum bodywork, a big American engine, and a reputation for being unruly and fast as all hell. Your first thought was probably the famed Shelby Cobra, did you know there was a who...
May 3, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved