Bernie Ecclestone is one of the most polarizing figures in F1. The ex-F1 supremo has always been someone who rolled with the punches. In one instance, quite literally! Ecclestone was one knocked unconscious and had $300k worth of jewelry and his Hublot watch stolen from him.

However, Ecclestone, in typical fashion saw an opportunity there. He used the incident as a marketing gimmick for luxury watch company Hublot. The watch company ran an advert for their $13k watch with Ecclestone’s bruised face, with the tagline “See what people will do for a Hublot”.

In an interview with Graham Bensinger, he opened up about the incident. He joked, “I was getting out of the car and someone decided they’d like another watch”. Ecclestone further elaborated, “I was just getting out of the car and people came and that was it”. He added, “I wasn’t thinking because I was on the ground unconscious”.

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However, Ecclestone was alright, and it turned out to be a brilliant advert for the company. Although this was over a decade ago, it still remains a marketing masterstroke. In the meantime, Ecclestone is once again in the headlines after being banned from the paddock for the Austrian GP.

Bernie Ecclestone to miss the Austrian GP amid recent Nelson Piquet comments

Bernie Ecclestone has made the headlines once again in 2022. The British business mogul and ex-F1 chairman will not be attending the Austrian GP on his schedule. This comes after a major backlash over his support for disgraced ex-F1 champion Nelson Piquet after his use of a racial slur against Lewis Hamilton.

Ecclestone came out in defense of his old friend and said, “Nelson would never go out of his way to say anything bad, certainly”. He added “I’ve known Nelson for an awful long time… It’s not the sort of thing Nelson would say meaning something bad”.

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However, this did not sit right with the fans and Ecclestone faced major criticism. This has led him to cancel his expected return to the F1 paddock at Spielberg. Although Ecclestone will not be in attendance, the Orange Army of Max Verstappen will be in full strength at the next race to cheer the Dutchman on.