Jeremy Clarkson pokes fun at ex-F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone after eye-watering fine

Celebrity F1 fan Jeremy Clarkson has poked fun at Bernie Ecclestone after he reached a £652million court settlement, remarking that the 92-year-old is now “down to his last £2billion.”

Ecclestone pleaded guilty to fraud at Southwark Crown Court last Thursday before reaching a settlement of £652m, incurring a suspended prison sentence.

Writing in his column for The Sun newspaper, Clarkson – who rose to fame as the host of the BBC motoring show Top Gear – could not resist the temptation to joke at Ecclestone’s expense.

Jeremy Clarkson makes light of Bernie Ecclestone’s fine

He said: “Having a bad day? Well it could be worse.

“Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has just been fined £330million for tax irregularities.

“That is almost certainly the biggest financial penalty ever imposed on an individual, and as a result, the poor old man is now down to his last £2billion.”

Clarkson has emerged as an increasingly vocal voice on matters F1 this year, having tweeted during May’s Monaco Grand Prix that he would by a pint for every member of his local team, Alpine, if Esteban Ocon managed to hold on to a place on the podium.

When Ocon secured third place at the principality, Clarkson personally delivered almost 1,000 bottles of beer to Alpine’s Enstone factory and was invited to the British GP at Silverstone as a guest of the team.

Clarkson’s attendance brought no luck to the French-owned team, who suffered a double DNF with Ocon and team-mate Pierre Gasly failing to reach the finish.

With Max Verstappen claiming a 10th straight victory of 2023 for Red Bull at Silverstone, the 63-year-old went on to joke that he was considering switching allegiance to F1’s dominant team in the hope of bringing some excitement at the front of the grid.

“I went to the British Grand Prix last weekend with my local team Alpine and, despite having me as a mascot, it wasn’t their best race. One car broke down and the other was punted into retirement by Lance Stroll.

“I wrote afterwards to say thank you for the hospitality and have received a reply asking me never to join them again. Maybe I should offer my mascot services to Red Bull.”

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Clarkson’s latest interjection in F1-related matters comes at a time Top Gear’s future is uncertain due to safety concerns.

Andrew Flintoff, the former England cricketer and one of the show’s current presenters, was left with severe facial injuries in a crash during filming last December, with the 45-year-old making his first public appearance since the accident last month.

It emerged on Friday that Flintoff had been awarded £9m in compensation, with recent reports indicating that Top Gear will be scrapped for good.

Earlier this month, a BBC spokesperson commented that a decision on the future of the show will be made “in due course.”

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