Bernie Ecclestone, the former Formula One supremo who rarely stayed to watch races beyond halfway when he was in charge, made his first grand prix podium appearance at the age of 94 in Austria on Sunday.
The Briton was present at the Red Bull Ring to hand out a medal on behalf of the president of the governing FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, to McLaren’s race winner Lando Norris.
Norris hopped off the top step of the podium so that he would be standing at the same level as his diminutive compatriot.
“I think it’s really nice that the president gives a personal congratulations to the winning competitor,” said Ecclestone, who ran the commercial side of the sport for some 40 years until being ousted in 2017.
“As he could not attend the race here in Austria, he asked me to present his medal for him which I am pleased and honoured to do.
“It was also great to be there as, though it might seem strange, this was the first time in almost 70 years in this sport that I’ve actually been on the podium.”
Norris won Formula One’s 1,136th championship grand prix and Ecclestone attended the first at Silverstone in 1950.
He once said he left races soon after the start because by then his business was done.
The President’s Medal was first presented to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at the season-ending 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and each one carries the race number and highlights the event’s history.
-Reuters
