Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has taken to The Telegraph to spill details of his life and share his thoughts on the world of Formula 1. 

Fascinatingly, he also took a moment to address a potential knighthood that he rejected back in 1990.

Bernie Ecclestone on his rejected knighthood

Name a man who has had more influence over the world of Formula 1 than Bernie Ecclestone.

The 94-year-old man from Suffolk has been involved in the sport of F1 since its first decade, holding various roles: driver, driver manager, team boss, privateer advocate, and, ultimately, commercial rights holder.

It was Ecclestone who, in the 1970s, organized the independent teams to begin demanding more money from race promoters and a more favorable role in the technical committees making the rules that dictated the sport. He recognized the value of commercial rights and spent several decades managing the public-facing aspects of F1 and honing the sport into a more professional organization.

With a lengthy list of accomplishments under his belt, it would have made sense for Ecclestone to accept the knighthood he was offered back in 1990 — but he refused, at the time stating that he was “too busy.”

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But in an interview with The Telegraph, Ecclestone reveals an entirely different perspective on that knighthood — namely, that he feels he didn’t deserve it. And no, it’s not an entirely humble rejection, either!

“Whatever I did, I did for myself,” he told The Telegraph.

“If somebody benefited from that, good. But it was never my intention.”

And that is perhaps the truth. Though Formula 1 grew massively as a result of Ecclestone’s wheeling and dealing, every deal he struck had to include equally favorable terms for himself. It’s the mindset that sees him worth a whopping $2.4 billion today.

Ecclestone continued, “I thought these awards should only be for people who had captured a country, gone back to the Queen and given her the keys. ‘There you go, we’ve captured India.’”

In fact, the former F1 supremo said he’s not looking for any accolades for the work he did in the sport.

“I’m probably praised for a lot of things that I don’t deserve,” he said.

“I’m not looking for it, though. I’m not hoping that people stop me on the pavement. If they want to do it, good on them.

“What I don’t like is when they say something that isn’t genuine.”

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