A Bolt Of Lightning

Ecclestone’s furious drive and intent was obvious from the very beginning. There could be no doubt: it was “my way or the highway.

- Maurice Hamilton

Bernard Ecclestone’s purchase of Brabham at the end of 1971 amounted to more than the straightforward acquisition of a struggling Formula 1 team. Sure, it put him on a level footing with the owners of Lotus, Ferrari and Tyrrell, the leading entrants of the day. But it also provided fertile ground for an incisive business mind operating several gears higher than those of fellow competitors only interested in racing and finding a means of covering costs. The thought, nice though it was, of making a small fortune from racing was subjugated by his rivals’ overwhelming love of the sport.

Make no mistake, Ecclestone was also a racer, but in the sense of coming first in anything, from a sporting contest to a business transaction or a game of wits. He had applied all three when using money made as a second-hand car and motorcycle dealer to race a Cooper single-seater in the 500cc formula – the equivalent of Formula Ford in the 1950s. 

Peter Ashcroft, later to become head of Ford UK Competitions, competed against Ecclestone and recalled a race at Brands Hatch.

“In those days, the grid was settled by names drawn from a hat,” said Ashcroft. “I ‘won’ pole. I didn’t know Bernie at the time and he was drawn directly behind me. I’m sitting on the grid and suddenly there’s a rap on top of my Herbert Johnson crash helmet and this contorted little face is staring straight into mine. It was Ecclestone. ‘If you don’t move over, I’m coming over the top!’ he snarled, and then walked away. What did I do? Moved over, of course! Bernie blasts by, leads for a while – and then spins off. That was normal for Bernie in a race.”