Rumour – Ecclestone plots to buy back F1

Bernie Ecclestone could be plotting his next move to retain control of his formula one circus.
The 80-year-old, who has bought and sold the commercial rights several times since revolutionising the sport decades ago, is rumoured to be considering buying back full control from F1′s current owners CVC.

The move follows Ecclestone’s rejection of the interest shown by News Corp and Ferrari shareholder Exor, after it emerged the other major teams might be interested in adding weight to that consortium.

Auto Motor und Sport reports that CVC’s managing partner Donald MacKenzie made a rare visit to the Barcelona paddock last weekend.

The report said he was in Spain amid rumours Ecclestone could be heading a new consortium intending to bid for F1.

Part of the consortium could be Paddy McNally, the recently retired head of trackside advertising company Allsport, who like Ecclestone is among the richest men in Britain.

Another powerful player potentially in the mix is Aabar, the Abu Dhabi state-owned investment vehicle that already owns part of Mercedes-Benz and its Brackley based F1 team.

Aabar stepped up its F1 involvement in recent days by sponsoring the Toro Rosso team through its Swiss bank Falcon Private.

“Is Aabar/Abu Dhabi looking to buy another team?” wonders Telegraph correspondent Tom Cary.

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