Liberty Media has completed its previously announced acquisition of Formula 1 and appointed Chase Carey as Chief Executive Officer, in addition to his existing role as Chairman. Carey has replaced Bernie Ecclestone who has been appointed as Chairman Emeritus of F1 and will be available as a source of advice for the board of F1. “I am excited to be taking on the additional role of CEO. F1 has huge potential with multiple untapped opportunities. I have enjoyed hearing from the fans, teams, FIA, promoters […]

It’s not every day you switch on your TV or open your web browser, to discover one of the world’s biggest sporting series has been taken over by new owners. This week, such an occasion took place as Liberty Media bought Formula 1, for just over six billion pounds. It had been well rumoured among F1 regulars before the official confirmation came through late on Wednesday night. The deal itself is very interesting and exciting for the future of the sport. Now owned by a […]

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone says he hopes Ferrari will be able to challenge Mercedes for the world championship this year. Mercedes has dominated the sport for the last two years, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg collecting 32 of the 38 race wins available, and the Briton securing two world titles. Ecclestone is hopeful that Ferrari, which won three races with Sebastian Vettel in 2015, will move closer to the front. "I'm hoping upon hope that Ferrari will get back to where it should […]

Formula 1 is set to delay the introduction of its amended qualifying format until the Spanish Grand Prix, after Bernie Ecclestone said that the required software changes cannot be made in time for the season-opening races. The Strategy Group and F1 Commission met in Geneva last week to approve changes which would see drivers knockout out during Q1, Q2 and Q3 at selected intervals, rather than the current format. However, Ecclestone says that the tweaks cannot be made in time for the Australian Grand Prix, […]

Bernie Ecclestone has suggested that he is keen to revive the Indian Grand Prix, two years after the race was most recently held at the Buddh circuit. India joined the calendar in 2011 and held a five-year deal with the sport, though the event was not continued into 2014 amid frustration with bureaucracy. The race was scheduled to return with an early-season date in 2015 but such an idea did not happen, with Ecclestone now hinting that a deal could be on for next year, […]

Bernie Ecclestone has reportedly said the circumstances of Fernando Alonso's bizarre testing crash are "completely inexplicable". The F1 chief executive, however, admitted that after the Spaniard's four days in hospital, he is not surprised the new McLaren-Honda driver is sitting out Melbourne. "What has surprised me is what happened (in Barcelona). It is completely inexplicable, for him as well," Ecclestone is quoted by DPA news agency and multiple Spanish publications. "Fernando is a little surprised by what has happened to him." Amid wild speculation about […]

Bernie Ecclestone has been formally reappointed to the Formula 1 board and will continue as CEO of the Formula 1 Group. Ecclestone stood down in January as he fought bribery charges in relation to the sale of the sport back in 2006. The charges against Ecclestone were dropped in the middle of the year when the 84-year-old concluded the case with a $100m settlement. It was also confirmed that Luca di Montezemolo and Paul Walsh have been appointed as Non Executive Directors, with effect from […]

Bernie Ecclestone says he is not interested in attracting young fans to Formula 1, claiming that they are the wrong demographic for the sport's sponsors. In a year in which Formula 1 has been attempting to reach out to social media to attract younger fans, Ecclestone says that such a task is pointless in the sport. "I'm not interested in tweeting, Facebook and whatever this nonsense is," Ecclestone told Campaign Asia-Pacific. "I tried to find out but in any case I'm too old-fashioned. I couldn't […]

Bernie Ecclestone has admitted his 'double points' innovation may be axed after the 2014 finale. This year, in a bid to keep the championship alive until the dying moment, F1 will allocate double points in the Abu Dhabi finale. But the scheme has been controversial and almost universally criticised, prompting F1's chief executive to admit it may fall by the wayside. "I wanted it to be for the last three races," he said in Singapore, "but everyone said I was mad, so we won't do […]

Officials of a German children's charity were completely surprised when it emerged Bernie Ecclestone would pay them $1 million. The payment to the Deutsche Kinderhospizstiftung, a children's hospice foundation, is part of the F1 supremo's $100 million settlement reached with Munich prosecutors to end his high-profile corruption trial. SID news agency said the payment is the largest in the charity's history. "Three years ago, an individual donated 100,000 euros to us," board chief Margret Hartkopf told Tagesspiegel newspaper. She said the foundation was "totally surprised" […]

Bernie Ecclestone's high-profile trial on bribery charges has begun in Munich. Ecclestone is accused of paying a bribe to German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky back in 2006 when Bayern LB sold their 47% stake in the sport to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners Gribkowsky, who worked as chief risk seller for Bayern LB, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison in 2012. Prosecutors allege that the bribe aided the sale to CVC, which was Ecclestone's favoured choice. Ecclestone does not deny that he paid the […]

Formula 1 teams have been called to an urgent meeting as they attempt to bring down the costs of competing in the sport. FIA president Jean Todt revealed last weekend that plans for a cost cap have been scrapped but the sport's governing body remains keen to lower the cost of competing in the sport. During a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Morocco, it was agreed that Formula 1's 11 teams will meet with Todt and Bernie Ecclestone at the start of […]