Bernie Ecclestone

A working-class boy made very good indeed, Ecclestone rose from secondhand motorcycle and car dealer to become the most powerful and influential man in the sport. In between those two periods, Ecclestone owned Brabham and was in charge there when Nelson Piquet won two world titles for the team in 1981 and 1983.
As a man who set great store by presentation, the Ecclestone-era Brabhams were always beautifully liveried and prepared. Other than that and keeping a rein on the budget, Ecclestone ran the team from a distance, allowing chief designer Gordon Murray to make many of the operational decisions.