Ecclestone that is, not Madoff (it’ll take more than PR to save Madoff).
But Formula One Bernie was on Radio 5 this afternoon and completely disarmed suspicious old hack Peter Allen with his plan to make the champion driver the one who wins most races. The message from Bernie is, I may be a billionaire from these semi-orchestrated processions but I still really want to see these guys race.
Ecclestone, 78, began his career selling motorcycles by the A3 in the 1950s and went on to control the merchandising rights to fabulous Formula One, helped no end by his capo, wily lawyer Max Mosley.
Mrs Ecclestone, towering brunette Slavika, has just walked out on Bernie and will be pursuing a large part, maybe even the major part, of his fortune so Bernie has a bit of time on his hands.
And, as he always has actually, he’s using some of it to pick up the phone to inquiring hacks and answer their questions with disarming directness.
Which means they never ask him about things like being hell-bent on moving the UK’s F1 race to some benighted shiekhdom.