Bernie Ecclestone is the giant of the motorsports world who turned Formula 1 into the incredible spectacle we know today.
Here's everything you need to know about the 86-year-old British billionaire who has led all of motorsport for 40 years and is currently an "honorary president".
The British entrepreneur was at the helm of the sport for almost four decades until he sold it all for a tidy sum earlier this year.
Who is Bernie Ecclestone? Biography
Ecclestone was born to a fisherman's family in Suffolk in 1930. At the age of 16, the boy finished school and immediately after the end of World War II got his first job at a gas plant, where he checked the purity of gas.
Motorsport came into his life when he was trading motorcycle parts with a friend. And in 1949, he first took part in the race behind the wheel of Formula 3. Bernie did not briefly engage in motorsport, mostly racing at the local circuit. But he often won prizes and, in the end, won.
After surviving the accident, he retired from racing.
AfterAfter several successful real estate investments, he returned to motorsport as a manager, making his first investment in Formula One and acquiring racing team assets.
He owned the team until 1978, when he founded the constructors' association in 1974 and became its executive director four years later.
For how much Bernie Ecclestone sold Formula 1?
Eccleston finally sold the commercial rights to Formula 1 to the American corporation Liberty Media in 2017, after FIA approval.
FIA said its partnership with Liberty Media "guarantees the continued success and development" of F1.
She bought over 18% of Delta Topco, F1 Group's holding company, in September.
Acquisition of all motorsport cost US company 6.4 billion pounds.
Ecclestone's job was taken over by Chase Carey, the mustachioed vice chairman of 21st Century Fox.
How much is Bernie Ecclestone's net worth?
The eccentric business mogul has amassed a fortune through his involvement in Formula 1. It is estimated at 2.5 billion pounds.
Behind him are three marriages. Bernie Ecclestone's first wife was Evie Bamford, he divorced his second wife, model Slavika Radic, in 2009, and since 2012 he has been married to Fabiana Flosi.
Fabiana's mother was kidnapped in her native Brazil last August.
Bernie has three daughters: Deborah from his first marriage to Evie, Deborah and Petra from his second marriage to a Croatian modelSlavika.
Who is Tamara Ecclestone?
Tamara Ecclestone Rutland is the second daughter of Bernie Ecclestone and the first child in marriage with his second wife Slavika. The girl works as a fashion model and television commentator.
The girl was born in 1984 in Milan. In 2009, she was featured on the cover of the Italian magazine Sky Sports and starred in her own reality show on Channel 5.
Her first TV appearance was in 2006 at the age of 22 when she commentated on Channel 4's Red Bull Air Race World Championship.
She also posed for Playboy magazine in May 2013.
In the same year, she married British stockbroker Jay Rutland. The couple had a daughter, Sophia, who is now three years old. The family lives in Kensington, London, in a £45 million home. In 2016, Jay Rutland was charged with assisting in a crime. The charges were later dropped.
Who is Petra Stant?
Petra Stant is the third of Bernie's daughters and Tamara's younger sister. The girl works as a fashion model and fashion designer. He is fluent in Croatian and also understands French and Italian.
She was born in 1988 in London. At the age of 14, the girl became seriously ill with viral meningitis. She says the illness has changed her life forever: "I no longer take my he alth for granted… I'm now a total hypochondriac and a he alth freak. Also, I'm also a clean freak,eat right and take vitamins."
Since childhood, the girl dreamed of being a fashion designer. She decided to create menswear because "the market for womenswear is oversaturated." However, her company lasted a little over a year, and 14 months after its inception, it fell apart.
In August 2011, Petra married British businessman James Stunt. The lavish £12 million wedding ceremony took place at the Orsini Odescalchi Castle near Rome. The couple has three children: a daughter and two twin sons.
The couple is currently going through a bitter and arguably most costly divorce.
