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It is not poker, however, but football that has become his other sporting foray away from F1. Along with Flavio Briatore and steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, he is a co-owner of Queens Park Rangers, making them the world's richest football club . . . on paper at least.
Ecclestone does not exactly talk with enthusiasm about the Championship outfit. He admits he would struggle to name a player in Neil Warnock's squad, he has only been to two or three matches although might go to more this season, and his footballing allegiances lie elsewhere.
“QPR? I don't have a real passion for it at all,” he admits. “I got into it by accident. I'm a Chelsea fan. I got involved through Flavio Briatore. It's difficult not to buy into his enthusiasm for things. I took some shares, I don't care. It's just something I've done.”
On the broader subject of the state of football, Ecclestone is quite scathing, especially when it comes to the multi-millionaires who have become club owners.
“People are either passionate enough to get into it or else they want to massage their ego,” he adds, although then insists he does not fall into either camp. “Football commercially is a disaster and is going to be in trouble until they start sorting out the costs. Look at most of the clubs in the Championship. They're all in trouble financially.”
His lack of footballing ambition is quite clear at QPR. When asked if he dreams of promotion to the Premier League for the club, quick as a flash, he replies: “I hope not. That's just even more aggravation.”
Ecclestone does not exactly talk with enthusiasm about the Championship outfit. He admits he would struggle to name a player in Neil Warnock's squad, he has only been to two or three matches although might go to more this season, and his footballing allegiances lie elsewhere.
“QPR? I don't have a real passion for it at all,” he admits. “I got into it by accident. I'm a Chelsea fan. I got involved through Flavio Briatore. It's difficult not to buy into his enthusiasm for things. I took some shares, I don't care. It's just something I've done.”
On the broader subject of the state of football, Ecclestone is quite scathing, especially when it comes to the multi-millionaires who have become club owners.
“People are either passionate enough to get into it or else they want to massage their ego,” he adds, although then insists he does not fall into either camp. “Football commercially is a disaster and is going to be in trouble until they start sorting out the costs. Look at most of the clubs in the Championship. They're all in trouble financially.”
His lack of footballing ambition is quite clear at QPR. When asked if he dreams of promotion to the Premier League for the club, quick as a flash, he replies: “I hope not. That's just even more aggravation.”
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