Ecclestone has expressed an intention to return Formula One racing to the circuit by hosting a biennial French Grand Prix at the circuit beginning in 2013 ( with a Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps in the alternate years ).

The title, won by Piquet for the Brabham team of Bernie Ecclestone, champion of the non-manufacturer teams ' rights, was the first-ever won by a turbocharged engine.

This was arguably done by team owner Bernie Ecclestone to avoid a conflict with the other privately owned teams whose support he needed.

On 7 December 2004, at a meeting attended by the bosses of all the teams but Ferrari, Ecclestone offered a payout of £ 260, 000, 000 over three years in return for unanimous renewal of the Concorde Agreement, which would guarantee the continuation of Formula One in its present form at least until the expiration of that contract.

On 14 May 2006, the five GPMA-backed teams signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the commercial rightsholders ( CVC / Ecclestone ) which formed the basis of the next Concorde Agreement.

The GPWC was created as a tool to assist the companies in bargaining with Bernie Ecclestone for an agreeable extension to the 1997 Concorde Agreement, the contract by whose terms the teams compete in F1.

Though the GPWC created definite plans to start a rival series in 2004, the FIA responded by openly trying to entice the breakaway teams with a one off 40 million dollar ( US ) incentive for their agreements, however the GPWC future was cast into doubt in mid-January 2005 when Ferrari, FIAT's F1 team, announced it had secretly come to terms with Ecclestone and signed an extension to the Concorde Agreement for a one off payment amounting to 100 million dollars ( US ).

The teams had, apparently, already discussed the idea with Bernie Ecclestone.

When the Concorde Agreement ended in 1987, Bernie Ecclestone ceased being a team owner and established the Formula One Promotions and Administration ( FOPA ), to manage TV rights for the teams.

The following day, at a meeting of team bosses at Heathrow Airport in London, Ecclestone offered the teams a total of £ 260, 000, 000 over three years in return for unanimous renewal of the Concorde Agreement, which expires in 2008.

It was expected that the ABC loan would be discharged in June 2008 on its maturity and that the debt owed to Caliendo would be paid off " in early 2008 " in line with a funding strategy which Ecclestone publicly stated would not result in the wealthy owners simply bankrolling the club.

Mittal's investment is thought to be primarily motivated by his son-in-law's interests and that Mittal himself would remain a silent investor while Briatore, Ecclestone and Bhatia worked together to implement the strategy of slowly building the club up ahead of a push for promotion to the Premier League in 2009.

During the 2006 United States Grand Prix, Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone said that it did not matter to him whether or not there was a Grand Prix in America, but also said he would be happy to discuss a new contract for the race.

Ecclestone was quoted as saying the race would take place across the Hudson River in New Jersey, with the Manhattan skyline overlooking the circuit.

On 31 May, Bernie Ecclestone confirmed ( at the time ) that the 2007 French Grand Prix would be the last to be held at Magny-Cours.

However, after various negotiations, the future of the race at Magny-Cours took another turn, with increased speculation that the 2008 French Grand Prix would return, with Ecclestone himself stating " We're going to maybe resurrect it for a year, or something like that ".

In 2009, Bernie Ecclestone said in an interview that he would like the Belgian Grand Prix to rotate with a Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, rather than the Nürburgring rotating with the Hockenheimring.

" Although DVLL gave further public relations assurance that it would be able to raise the required finance and host the Grand Prix, on 29 October 2009, Ecclestone confirmed that the British Grand Prix would not be held at Donington.

On 4 July 2008, Bernie Ecclestone announced that Donington Park would hold the British Grand Prix from onwards in a 17-year deal, having been hosted exclusively by Silverstone since 1987.

In light of the financial crisis and Donington's potential inability to raise finance, on 20 June 2009, Bernie Ecclestone stated that there would be a British Grand Prix at Silverstone in 2010 if Donington was not ready to host it.

Ecclestone later confirmed that Donington would not be hosting the British Grand Prix.

At one point during the season, Ecclestone informed the Beatrice / Haas / Lola team that " his driver " ( Patrese ) would be in the car at the next meeting ; Ecclestone was primarily interested in acquiring the Ford engines as a replacement for the BMW units in his Brabhams but the manufacturer vetoed this, offering the engines to Benetton instead.

Race organisers were worried that the circuit would not be complete in time for the 2004 Bahrain Grand Prix and attempted to cancel the event ; however, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone refused this request.

Bernie Ecclestone originally confirmed that F1 would not return to Magny-Cours in 2008, instead moving to an alternative location possibly in Paris.

In May 2008, Ecclestone confirmed that Magny-Cours would stop hosting the French Grand Prix after the 2008 race, suggesting that he was looking into the possibility of hosting the French Grand Prix on the streets of Paris.

In July 2006, Bernie Ecclestone announced that from 2007 onwards, there would be only one Grand Prix per year in Germany.

1978 was the year that Ecclestone became chief executive of FOCA and led it through the FISA-FOCA war that would lead to the downfall of FISA and give FOCA the right to negotiate television contracts for the Grands Prix, effectively giving Ecclestone commercial control of Formula 1 which continues to this day.

Dual World Champion Nelson Piquet confirmed the drivers ' positive view on the circuit when he said early in race week " After Detroit and Dallas, we all expected another bad street circuit " while his Brabham team boss ( and the head of the Formula One Constructors Association ) Bernie Ecclestone told the assembled media that he believed that the standard the of the organisation and the circuit itself was bad news for Formula One, explaining that the Adelaide GP had raised the standards of what would be expected in the future and that several tracks in Europe already on the calender, or hoping to be, would have to lift their own games in order to match it.

The race led to fears that Formula One bosses Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone, who had been highly critical of the media and corporate facilities of Silverstone, would use the incident to drop the race from the Formula One calendar, with Ecclestone saying " It wasn't necessary-the race was exciting enough without it.

Nevertheless, shortly before the first race of the 2010 season, Ecclestone continued to fuel speculation that a return to Indianapolis was not out of the question.

On 8 April 2007, shortly before the 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix, Formula One president Bernie Ecclestone was quoted as stating that the circuit was getting " shabby " and " a bit tired " from the lack of care, describing it as " an old house that needs a bit of redecorating ".

* Bernie Ecclestone was involved in a political scandal when it transpired he had given the Labour Party a million pound donation-which raised eyebrows when the incoming Labour government changed its policy to allow Formula One to continue being sponsored by tobacco manufacturers.

After a number of years of financial difficulties which included a period in financial administration, QPR was bought by Formula One tycoons and multi-millionaires Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore in a £ 14 million takeover in August 2007.

In addition, Briatore and Ecclestone are believed to have promised £ 5 million in convertible loan facilities to help buy players and have covered £ 13 million of debt, in a total commitment to the club of around £ 20 million.

Furthermore around £ 2 million was still owed to former director and major shareholder, Antonio Caliendo, who waived £ 4. 5 million of loans when Briatore and Ecclestone bought the club.

Under the five-year agreement, the governments will pay 15 million Canadian dollars a year to host the race, much less than the 35 million a year Ecclestone initially asked for.

In August 2009, Formula One president Bernie Ecclestone remarked that there was no immediate plan to return Formula One to the US, vowing " never to return " to Indianapolis.

George and Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone could not reach an agreement to continue the US Grand Prix at the Brickyard for 2008 and beyond.

( It is rumored that Bernie Ecclestone saw them as being too ugly on television and therefore had them banned.

Car, engine, drivers and sponsors were all troublesome and the team folded after the 1986 season with most of its assets ( including the factory ) being sold to Bernie Ecclestone.

At 6 feet 2 inches ( 1. 88 m ), Slavica was nearly a foot taller than her suitor, Ecclestone being only 5 ft 2½ in ( 1. 59 m ) tall.

Tyrrell also objected to the addendum to the Agreement being secret, arguing that secrecy surrounding the agreement benefited only Ecclestone ( by weakening the bargaining power of the other parties ).

The team beat off competition from around the world in a knockout style event winning the Bernie Ecclestone Trophy and also university sponsorship, as well as the privilege of being VIP guests at the 2008 Malaysian Grand Prix.