At the time of writing this (January 23), it marks exactly seven years since Bernie Ecclestone was replaced as CEO of Formula 1, ending a significant era in the sport.
Ecclestone was dismissed by the current owners of the sport Liberty Media, in what was a forced exit following their takeover of the pinnacle of single-seater motorsport.
There is no doubting that the sport has changed drastically since Ecclestone departed, having spent four decades in the CEO position.
It was Ecclestone who made F1 the global phenomenon and financial success that it is today, with Liberty Media having simply pushed on from the pillars that the 93-year-old planted.
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His time as F1’s CEO wasn’t without its controversy, with 2008 having been a dark year in particular.
The 2008 Singapore Grand Prix is where the infamous Crashgate took place, a blatant case of manipulation by Renault which Ecclestone admitted last year he was aware about at the time but refused to say anything to protect the sport.
He also clashed with Lewis Hamilton on multiple occasions, prior to being replaced by Chase Carey.
Upon his departure, Ecclestone was given the the title of “Chairman Emeritus” and revealed that he was “proud” of the “business” he’d built.
“I’m proud of the business that I built over the last 40 years and all that I have achieved with Formula 1,” Ecclestone said at the time.
“I 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.”
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Since Ecclestone’s exit, a eight-episode docu-series has been made about him, with it having been produced by the same genius behind ‘Senna’, Manish Pandey.
Available on Discovery+, it takes a deep look into how Ecclestone grew F1 and all the controversies that he navigated along the way.
From various tax cases to having briefcases full of cash, the docu-series goes into it all and is a must-watch for anyone interested in the history Ecclestone and also F1.