Although a greater degree of proof is required in a criminal case, the
material will essentially be very similar to the High Court.
How is going to keep running Formula One in the meantime?
With some difficulty. Although the judge has arranged the trial so proceedings
are only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, that is a significant dent for a
workaholic like Ecclestone, famed for his attention to detail.
When Telegraph Sport spoke to Formula One’s all-powerful chief
executive last week he simply joked: “We will just have to work harder.”
Of course, there will be others picking up the slack, but Ecclestone has never
been one for power sharing.
Oh. So what happens if he is found guilty?
First, a jail sentence of up to 10 years. This is the court that sent Uli
Hoeness, the former Bayern Munich president, to prison for three-and-a-half
years.
And as far as Formula One goes, Donald Mackenzie, CVC’s co-founder, said he
would be fired if found guilty of wrongdoing. In other words, he would
finally have to relinquish his 40-year grip on the sport.
What would Formula One do without him?
For a start, F1 journalists will be much shorter on stories. Beyond our
self-interest, some in the sport will be privately glad, but most will be
confused and a little lost. Ecclestone has shaped Formula One in his image:
the two are almost inextricably linked.
CVC insists that some kind of a succession plan has been drawn up, but scant
details have been revealed. If Ecclestone is found guilty, we can only hope
they have the details in place, otherwise it could be chaos.