Bernie Ecclestone’s daughters have given a rare insight into the character of the F1 supremo.
The diminutive 76-year-old rules the pinnacle of motor sport with a notorious iron fist, but Tamara (21) and Petra (16) explained that “Dad” always rolls through the front door of their Chelsea home at 6.15pm — on the dot.
“At 7.30 he eats,” Tamara, a regular in the F1 paddocks last year, explained to the German newspaper Welt.
“Then he reads the newspaper or watches some TV or some horse racing and goes to bed.
“Dad leaves you alone, he doesn’t talk a lot or ask many questions, and if you can’t find him then you know where he is — at work.”
Petra, an aspiring young model, agreed with her older sister that their father – whose fortune may amount to more than $5 billion, making him even wealthier than the Queen – is not a socialite.
“He doesn’t go out,” she smiled. “He hates parties and small talk.
“When we were growing up Dad always said that even your best friends will stab you in the back.”
But despite his hard-negotiating and intimidating stature in the F1 paddock, Petra insists that Dad is “no monster”.
“He doesn’t tell us off,” she laughed. “He’s a bit of a coward like that — in fact, I can’t remember the last time he raised his voice.”
Tamara said she enjoys shopping with Bernie.
“He’s very good at it,” she giggled. “He doesn’t rush you like most men and he always, always, carries the bag.
“But he will tend to pick out the longest dress with the highest neck.”
Tamara said she does not worry about Bernie’s age, despite the fact that he is nearly three decades older than the girls’ 48-year-old mother, Slavica, who is a former model from Croatia.
“He’s so quick and switched on. I don’t think he’ll ever retire; work keeps him going,” she insisted.
GMMF1
DailyF1News.com
