Spanish sports daily Marca questioned Ecclestone about his favourite and best drivers in the history of Grand Prix racing, drawing on the 85-year-old’s almost six decade presence at the pinnacle of motor sport.

“It’s hard to say,” Ecclestone told Marca.

“But if I had to choose one over the years, I would probably say Prost. He was better than Schumacher or Senna.

“Michael had a lot of help from the team or teammates, and at some points it was the same with Senna. But Prost never had such privileges. He always had competitors even within his own team.”

While Ecclestone’s considers the diminutive Frenchman with the highest regard, he also admitted that his personal favourite was the great Jochen Rindt, a man whose affairs Bernie had managed until his untimely death  in 1970.

Rindt was leading the World Championship for Lotus when he lost his life at Monza, but the popular Austrian became the sport’s first posthumous World Champion.

“We were very close, as colleagues and friends,” Ecclestone said.

“He is definitely my favorite, but not the best of all time. That’s Prost.”