Formula One racing is not very popular in the United States, so I’ll forgive you if you don’t have a clue who the gentleman on the right is. Bernie Ecclestone is the current president and CEO of the companies behind Formula One racing.
Mr.Ecclestone has amassed a net worth of almost $4 Billion thanks to a combination of his slick management skills and some very lucrative TV deals. On average, over 55 million people watch each F1 race, making it the most popular sport in the world.
So, with that much cash and power, I was surprised to read that he flies regular airlines, just like the rest of us. And just like us, he too gets delayed when things go bad. After the final race of the season this Sunday (Go Lewis!), Bernie was stranded on the tarmac of Sao Paulo airport for 7 hours.
Once the plane finally made its way back to the UK, the flight crew went “illegal” (a term meaning they had reached their maximum shift duration) and the plane had to divert to Madrid to load a new crew.
The ground delay and diversion meant the BA flight didn’t land at Heathrow till 9:20PM, almost 9 hours later than scheduled. I’ve been in much worse delays, and my experiences never made the news – I guess it pays to be super rich!
Of course, the smart people took their private jet to Brazil, including the team boss of the world champion, Ron Dennis.
(Via: F1Complete)