For the past few years now, there have been rumours about the identity of Bernie Ecclestone’s successor as F1 supremo. Who will take up the reigns when the man known in F1 circles as Mr. E finally decides to retire?
The thing is, Ecclestone is showing no signs of weakness though he turned 81 last October. He’s as inflexible in business as he is everywhere else, and there’s no reason to believe he’ll bow down anytime soon.
And yet, the F1 industry has to prepare for his succession for fear the empire will collapse if his replacement isn’t firmly installed at the helm.
Enter Normand Legault, the former promoter of the Canadian Grand Prix. Since he stepped down in 2008, the Canadian businessman has remained a model of silent discretion, though he sits on the board of directors of several companies and institutions.
He gave a very rare interview Sunday night on the highly popular Quebec talk show Tout le monde en parle.
When asked if he’d be interested in taking up Bernie’s mantle, Legault responded “Why not?” with a big smile.
“They’ve got my number, they know where to reach me,” he added.
Legault admitted that he’s stayed in contact with “high-ranking officials of automakers that have dropped out of Formula 1, but could be interested in coming back one day…”
So, is Legault the ideal candidate for Mr. E’s successor?
Without a doubt. He has over 30 years of experience in the F1 arena, he’s one of the few businessmen who managed to stand up to Bernie Ecclestone, he knows all the big F1 decision makers personally, he’s a shrewd negotiator and a fine diplomat and, lastly, he doesn’t have any enemies. Legault has remained perfectly neutral in the mine-swept and highly controversial playing field that is Formula 1.
The names of old F1 team managers such as Flavio Briatore, Jean Todt, Ron Dennis and even Alain Prost have been brought up as possible replacements for Ecclestone. But their careers have all been marked by major disputes, which means they would have a very hard time reaching any kind of consensus with their old foes.
But that’s not the case with Legault – who, it should be noted, saved the Canadian Grand Prix on several occasions when everyone thought it was lost for good.
Yes, Normand Legault is very well liked in F1 circles. And I bet he wouldn’t mind moving to London one bit!
The thing is, Ecclestone is showing no signs of weakness though he turned 81 last October. He’s as inflexible in business as he is everywhere else, and there’s no reason to believe he’ll bow down anytime soon.
And yet, the F1 industry has to prepare for his succession for fear the empire will collapse if his replacement isn’t firmly installed at the helm.
Enter Normand Legault, the former promoter of the Canadian Grand Prix. Since he stepped down in 2008, the Canadian businessman has remained a model of silent discretion, though he sits on the board of directors of several companies and institutions.
He gave a very rare interview Sunday night on the highly popular Quebec talk show Tout le monde en parle.
When asked if he’d be interested in taking up Bernie’s mantle, Legault responded “Why not?” with a big smile.
“They’ve got my number, they know where to reach me,” he added.
Legault admitted that he’s stayed in contact with “high-ranking officials of automakers that have dropped out of Formula 1, but could be interested in coming back one day…”
So, is Legault the ideal candidate for Mr. E’s successor?
Without a doubt. He has over 30 years of experience in the F1 arena, he’s one of the few businessmen who managed to stand up to Bernie Ecclestone, he knows all the big F1 decision makers personally, he’s a shrewd negotiator and a fine diplomat and, lastly, he doesn’t have any enemies. Legault has remained perfectly neutral in the mine-swept and highly controversial playing field that is Formula 1.
The names of old F1 team managers such as Flavio Briatore, Jean Todt, Ron Dennis and even Alain Prost have been brought up as possible replacements for Ecclestone. But their careers have all been marked by major disputes, which means they would have a very hard time reaching any kind of consensus with their old foes.
But that’s not the case with Legault – who, it should be noted, saved the Canadian Grand Prix on several occasions when everyone thought it was lost for good.
Yes, Normand Legault is very well liked in F1 circles. And I bet he wouldn’t mind moving to London one bit!