Lucky!

The most romantic era in Formula 1. Travel is exotic and drivers like Fangio, Moss and Clark are living legends, who battle across four continents in the legendary marques Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Lotus. Meanwhile, Bernie Ecclestone, a working-class Englishman with no qualifications, one working eye and a razor-sharp mind, begins his journey from successful car dealer to friend and manager of Jochen Rindt — a genuine contender for the Formula One World Championship.

The onset of the most glamorous era in F1, with rock-star drivers epitomized by Jackie Stewart and Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi, living jet-set lives and driving for increasingly engineered teams, Lotus, Tyrrell and McLaren. Bernie transforms from driver manager to becoming owner of the Brabham team and then the boss of the Formula One Constructors’ Association, which leads him to butt heads with the powerful French Commission Sportive International (CSI) – a fight which Bernie is all too happy to enter. Bernie brings F1 into another sphere in a revolutionary move.

Bernie extends beyond team boss when, before anyone else, he sees the future of Formula One on live television – and the boundless money that it will bring. But his ascendency is challenged by Jean-Marie Balestre, a ruthless political operator who represents the French establishment and wants complete control. Becoming President of the CSI, Balestre tries to bring Bernie to his knees.

It's an all-out war between the British teams and the rebranded CSI, now the Federation Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA), who are desperate to control Formula One entirely. Bernie takes the teams to South Africa, at his own expense, to prove to the world that they’re the only ones who can actually stage a race. The bluff works, his influence grows and more success on the track follows.

The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics provide Bernie with a model of how Formula 1 should be run: a hugely entertaining spectacle with enormous TV and sponsorship revenue. Although the sponsors have their favourite races, Bernie makes a decision — a costly one at that — that they show all the races. Alain Prost makes a move to McLaren, and 24-year-old Ayrton Senna’s sensational arrival to the sport points to a legend in the making. Also, as Bernie continues to modernize the way viewers watch Formula 1, but a fatal accident brings him to sell Brabham.

The top drivers battle it out for Championships and the teams battle it out to get the best driver. McLaren snare Prost and Senna in what seems like a dream team – but the relationship quickly sours. In 1988, Senna wins the championship and the grand old man of racing, Enzo Ferrari, dies, leaving a big hole in Formula 1’s life. Rivalries and controversies boost ratings even higher while new driver Michael Schumacher emerges from Formula 3. But as the cars get faster and FISA introduces regulations to slow them down, the death of Senna leaves Bernie ostracized and Formula 1 on life support.