This is the ninth edition. Printed in the EU. Copies are available by logging on to www. Copyright or reproduction may only be carried out with written permission of the publishers, which will normally not be withheld on payment of a fee. Article reprints: Most articles published in the Black Book are available as reprints.
Normal print run for reprints is copies. Please contact us at: info sportspromedia. The world leaders in advanced technology winglets are proud to present the new tipping point in aerodynamics. Take a second look at aviationpartners. We repeat, Aviation Partners. When Bernie Ecclestone, the ringmaster for so many years, stands trial in Germany this April, accused of bribing a former German banker during the period when Formula One was being sold to current majority owners CVC Capital Partners in , the sport will hold its breath.
He continues to vigorously deny the charge against him. CVC Capital Partners — which, with 35 per cent, continues to be the majority owner of Formula One — is, for the moment, standing by its man. For how long, nobody knows, although the suspicion has long been that there is no executive succession plan in place.
If that is so, it is astonishing. Regardless of any legal issues, Ecclestone is now in his ninth decade. The feeling is growing that something has to give. Formula One has been a spectacularly successful investment for CVC; through a combination of refinancing, dividends and the sales of stakes to other financial institutions, it has made billions from the sport — billions which would otherwise have remained in Formula One — since buying in eight years ago.
And, for all the suggestions that Formula One is awash with cash, the sport could certainly have used that money. The teams are not blameless. The investable dissolution of the Formula One Teams Association FOTA early this year has robbed them of a united voice which just might have yielded a greater say in how the sport is run.
