When Ecclestone was indicted by German prosecutors in January, he stood down
from Formula One’s board but retained control on a “day-to-day basis”,
claiming: “Nothing has changed.”
However his comments on Monday reveal the pressure of the trial is affecting
his running of the sport.
“I’ve been spending time on this [civil] case and to spend time on Munich
I am not able to give what I normally would do, 24/7, to the business”,
Ecclestone told the Financial Times.
“I’ve been looking, over the last few years, for somebody who can join me
to assist with what I have to do. I will eventually be in a position, if I
decide to retire – or unfortunately become dead – to have someone to step
into my shoes.”
Something of a campaign has emerged for current Red Bull team boss Christian
Horner to be installed as his successor, one which has been vigorously
supported by Ecclestone himself, but it is widely thought once the
83-year-old does move aside that the sport will have a more committee-style
management structure.
Mr Justice Newey dismissed the civil action brought by German media group
Constantin Medien last month.
But since his comments in which he said Ecclestone had paid a bribe, the board
of CVC have come under pressure to sack the 83-year-old.
Donald Mackenzie, CVC’s chief executive, who rarely makes any comments
publicly, said last year that if Ecclestone was found guilty he would be
fired. But a source close to the board told Telegraph Sport that Mr Justice
Newey’s “opinion” will not affect their decision and they await
the outcome of the German trial, due to start on April 23. A spokesman for
CVC declined to respond to Ecclestone’s comments on Monday.
Ecclestone, for his part, expressed his frustration at the judge’s comments.
“I was a little disappointed at the judge’s remarks but I understand he
was in a difficult position because of the lack of evidence in front of him”,
he said.
Some of the teams and senior figures on the board which runs Formula One have
privately expressed concerns about Ecclestone’s position, with some
investors holding concerns over compliance issues.
Ecclestone’s trial, which begins on April 23, after the Chinese Grand Prix and
before the start of the European season in Spain, is scheduled to run until
September and proceedings will run for two days a week. They will take place
on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to allow Ecclestone to attend Formula One races
as normal.
His future has been the subject of intense speculation since Mr Justice Newey
handed down his judgment earlier this month in the $140 million damages
claim.
The claim, which centred on allegations that the 83-year-old had made a “corrupt
bargain” with Gribkowsky to steer the sale of the sport to London-based
private equity firm CVC nine years ago, was dismissed on technical grounds.
Gribkowsky himself, formerly the chief risk officer at state-owned BayernLB,
has already been jailed for 8 1/2 years for accepting corrupt payments,
breach of fiduciary duties and tax evasion.
Ecclestone does not deny paying Gribkowsky but instead argues that he was “shaken
down” by the banker, who was threatening to cause trouble for him with
the UK tax authorities.
Ecclestone’s comments mark his clearest public indication that both that the
prospect of the trial is affecting his running of Formula One, and that he
is contemplating a future beyond it.
The controversial chief executive has won many admirers for his stewardship of
the sport over the decades – not to mention his ability to make a lot of
people wealthy – but privately some teams speculate whether he continues to
be a positive influence.