He is the man who created modern-day Formula One. He is both feared and admired for the way in which he masterminded its transformation from an amateur sport of the 1950s into a global billion dollar industry of the 21st century. And now, with his fortune, influence, and power, Bernie Ecclestone has moved into the world of soccer with Renault F1 boss Flavio Briatore to turn Queen's Park Rangers, a struggling west London club, into a serious rival to the capital's glamour club, Chelsea. Overnight, QPR has access to more wealth than Real Madrid, able to compete with the financial backing of Roman Abramovich, Chelsea's Russian billionaire owner. But what makes Bernie run? What lies behind the grim, poker-face of this deal-maker extraordinaire, who, for nearly 40 years, has ruthlessly exploited and dominated Formula One? To many he became the savior of the sport, but there have also been many who have suffered at this hands-the weak and the gullible, the politically naive and unsuspecting. They have a different story to tell. Revealing the unbridled avarice, callousness, and corruption behind the hype of Formula One, this book also shows the warts-and-all character of the man who is now setting his sights on a sport no less decadent.
