sport news A weekend at Bernie's! Former F1 chief Ecclestone is pin sharp at 91 ahead of ... trends now
It is a beautiful day in Ibiza. Unchallenged blue sky, 32C warmth, a light south-westerly wind. Just what you want when you are sitting down to lunch on the beach.
We have arrived at the Casa Jondal restaurant courtesy of Mr and Mrs Bernie Ecclestone.
The man who controlled a sporting empire was there in the arrivals hall to greet me and photographer Andy Hooper, while Fabiana, Mr E's third wife of 10 years, was outside in their white Range Rover to whisk us off.
Bernie Ecclestone gave a detailed analysis of Formula 1 from his luxury home in Ibiza
The third member of the immediate family, little Ace, two next month, was asleep at home.
The Ecclestones split their time between their coffee farm on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil, their house in Gstaad, Switzerland, and their villa in Ibiza.
It comes with guaranteed views of the nearly turquoise Balearic Sea, a million cultural miles away from the clubbing scene that is part of the island's fame.
That is not Bernie's world. He prefers life in his private, gated house, complete with the landscaped garden he had constructed on buying the property and the colourful fish swimming in a horseshoe-shaped pond. 'Ace likes feeding them by hand,' he says.
The proud father, who turns 92 in October, also reports that, a day before our visit, Ace swam his first width of the open-air pool situated between the house and the sea below.
'He likes swimming?' I ask. 'He likes pretty much anything,' says Ecclestone.
'Do you swim in the pool?' I wonder. 'No, I never have,' he says.
The 91-year-old now splits his time between his coffee farm in Brazil, his house in Switzerland, and at a luxury villa in Ibiza
How many staff work at the house? 'Five or six possibly,' says Ecclestone. 'I'm not sure. I'm commercial, Fabiana's domestic.'
Back at the restaurant before we drive on to the house for coffee, Brazilian Fabiana, nee Flosi, aged 45 or thereabouts, takes charge of the order.
Crab, anchovies, prawns, green peppers all feature. Main course: John Dory and sea bass. Plenty of chips and a side order of asparagus to be good.
Three of us share a bottle of white. Bernie orders a small draft beer.
Mrs E pulls the prawns apart for Mr E and puts them on his plate. She dotes on him. He dotes on her.
A few people recognise Bernie, his enduring fame and unique features marking him out as a celebrity even here off the Spanish mainland and there are a few handshakes as he walks to and from the table.
His neighbours, a friendly couple, come over to say hello.
In a different time, prior to the acquisition of Formula One by American conglomerate Liberty Media in 2017, he would be at Silverstone this coming week for the British Grand Prix.
Owing to Covid restrictions, he has not attended a race for more than two years, or been to London.
Still courted by the sport's main players at the end of his mobile phone, he was due to be in Bahrain in March but contracted the virus and had to pull out.
His next planned visit to his old Formula One domain is for the Austrian Grand Prix on the weekend of July 10.
Ecclestone arrived in Ibiza from Brazil last month. One hitch: he was stopped by police for carrying a gun before boarding a flight from Sao Paulo.
The former F1 Chief Executive hasn't been to a Formula One race for more than two years
The Seecamp 32 pistol was not loaded and was packed in his luggage by accident.
'I got it a few years ago from someone in Formula One and we thought it might be a good idea for Fabiana to have it in her handbag in case of a robbery to scare someone off,' said Ecclestone.
'I actually don't think it would have been much use. The sort of people who might want to rob us may have had guns a lot bigger than this little thing.'
Pretending he was in jail for comic purposes, Ecclestone said: 'Someone rang me while I was with the police, sorting it all out.
'It was a call from Australia or America. I told the guy I was only allowed one call and this might be it. Where I was, I told him, I could speak to a lawyer or whoever.
'You called me,' I told him, 'so I don't know if that counts'. So the guy was completely confused.
He's now thinking I'm locked up. I told him I didn't like the food much. He thought I'd got six months inside.'
In fact, Ecclestone spent laborious hours explaining the situation to the police with Fabiana acting as translator.
His interrogators recognised him and asked him about Ayrton Senna, among other Formula One matters.
His reason for carrying the weapon: 'I was mucking about with the gun at home. I was pretending to arrest somebody, one of the guys who rides the horses.
'I put it into my shirt pocket and took the shirt off. I left my things on the bed to be packed and in it went. I never used it, or carried it. It had no bullets.
'They scanned the luggage then called me to look through the suitcase — they said they couldn't open it until I got there — and we spent ages trying to find it. Eventually I found it.'
He paid 6,000 Brazilian reals — £1,000 — for possession of the unregistered gun, which was confiscated and that was the end of it.
'It was a few pleasant hours with the police. We were all good friends in the end,' he says.
Ecclestone has waded into the debate around Lewis Hamilton's future with Mercedes
'It was all good publicity. I got more exposure than if I'd committed murder.'
Lewis Hamilton's form enters the conversation. The seven-time world champion is sixth in the drivers' standings and without a win this season, trailing his team-mate George Russell.
Hamilton has another year beyond this one remaining on his £40million annual contract.
Ecclestone says: 'Lewis might sell his position to Toto [Wolff, Mercedes' team principal]. "This is how much I am getting, I'll step down and give me half of what I would get".
'Toto can go and do one of his magic deals, offer someone less money and keep
