By 
As president of the Automobile Club de Monaco, Michel Boeri has been responsible for securing the future of Formula 1’s most famous race for over 50 years.
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Before Liberty Media took over F1, that meant dealing with Bernie Ecclestone. In the seventies, Ecclestone ran the Formula One Constuctors’ Association, which negotiated on behalf of teams (a majority of which were British) with race promoters.
According to Boeri, Ecclestone’s uncompromising tactics required a firm response, as in one case soon after he took over as ACM president in 1972.
“Ecclestone was British, and he was a businessman. I was a rookie,” Boeri told Nice-Matin. “On the eve of the race, he told me: ‘Since we can’t agree on the fee, we’re going on strike.’
“There was no paddock yet, and the teams were based in the Portier parking lot. I called the Spada company and had the exits blocked with sand trucks. Then I went to Ecclestone and told him: ‘You don’t want to race? Fine. Then you’re not getting out.’ That got negotiations moving immediately.”
Boeri’s tactics achieved the desired result – though he also had the police ready to intervene.
“Ecclestone was a man of his word,” he said. “So I went down to the British camp to sign an agreement. There were no lawyers. It was simply: ‘I promise to move the trucks, and you promise to race. Signed, with love.’
“Being very brave, I had still called the police commander beforehand to tell him the British were drunk and aggressive, and to intervene if things got out of hand.
“I handed the paper to Ecclestone, he signed it, and I dropped to one knee. They took it the wrong way and thought a fight was about to break out. Then the cavalry charged! [laughs] It was ridiculous, but we weren’t writing a manual on diplomacy. You went on instinct. You felt your way through it.”
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