When Bernie Ecclestone left F1, there was mixed opinion on his exit. Some said it was good for the sport that Ecclestone’s dictatorial leadership will go away. While some were unhappy to see the prime character of the F1 show leaving. Bernie had built quite a reputation in the F1 paddock that still persists. A part of this reputation has been his satirical comedy on his popular Christmas postcards every year. Though, in 2022 he seems to have changed that too.

As per formulapassion.it, Ecclestone spoke about how his past Christmas cards have been bringing trouble for him. So, for this year’s Christmas, he decided to play it safe. Bernie said, “I’m sure what I had in mind for this year’s [2022] Christmas card would create many more problems for me than in the past.” [translated via Google]

“So I thought it might be better for you to know everything about a person who has turned out to be extremely good for Formula 1, in every sense” The disputed F1 megalomaniac referred to Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz, who recently passed away in October 2022.

Bernie believed it is more appropriate to remember Mateschitz’s contribution to F1 and honor him. He may have resorted to this unlikely behavior to try and avoid internet trolls in this age of social media virality.

Ecclestone concluded the card by saying, “Have a pleasant and productive 2023, my best wishes. Bernie”. Some of the most famous ironic and satirical cards Bernie has done include: Making fun of his paternity (2020), Emanuele Piro, and the stewards who penalized Vettel in Canada (2019), Chase Carey, his successor (2017), the unforgettable Max Mosley and Flavio Briatore over the Crashgate scandal (2008).

Read More: F1 Autocrat Bernie Ecclestone Once Emotionally Expressed His Heartache at Michael Schumacher Fighting for His Life

The British billionaire has always been a straightforward and outspoken person. Thus, he never hesitated to speak his mind on F1 and the drivers. It explains a lot about how Bernie ran F1 quite efficiently for over 4 decades.

The Fearless and Outspoken Bernie Ecclestone

When it came to being the boss and leading F1, Bernie Ecclestone left no stone unturned in his efforts. He had a dictatorial leadership style that often created waves of controversy but was potentially effective. Be it TV rights, expansion into new territories, or getting new teams and manufacturers, Bernie managed every aspect of the sport with a hands-on approach.

Meanwhile, this straightforward approach was also visible in his opinions on driver moves. When Lewis Hamilton was looking to move to Mercedes from McLaren; Bernie again made a nice satirical cartoon for his Christmas card in 2012. It depicted Lewis jumping off his McLaren F1 car from the middle of the track into Niki Lauda’s Mercedes car.

Some years later, when Hamilton dominated with the Silver Arrows; Ecclestone opined how it hurt F1. The former F1 boss also has spoken about how all teams should have a similar engine. In an interview with Graham Bensinger, Bernie vouched for similar characteristics of F1 engines that can bring parity to the competition in the sport.

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This fearless and outspoken attitude certainly helped Ecclestone to thrive in F1 for a long time. Either way, he had to call it a day on his regime. Still, his 4 decades arguably remain the bedrock on which F1 is developing today. What are your thoughts on Bernie Ecclestone?