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Paddy McNally

Paddy McNally
McNally at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1970
Born
Patrick Sean McNally

(1937-12-20) 20 December 1937 (age 86)
Gravesend, Kent, England
NationalityBritish, Irish, Swiss
Occupations
  • Businessman
  • racing driver
  • journalist
  • socialite
Years active1963–2011
Known forFormula 1 and association with Sarah Ferguson
Spouse
Anne Downing
​
​
(m. 1967; died 1980)​
Children2

Patrick Sean McNally (born 20 December 1937)[1] is a British businessman, former racing driver, and socialite. He was chief executive of Allsport Management, a Swiss-based company part of the Formula One Group, which controlled Formula One advertising and hospitality via the Paddock Club.

Early life

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McNally was born on 20 December 1937[1] in Gravesend, England.[2] He was the fourth and youngest son of G/Capt. Patrick McNally, an Irish medical officer in the Royal Air Force,[3] and Mary Deane Outred.[4] He grew up in County Monaghan, Ireland, and was educated at Stonyhurst College.[4] He initially worked in London as a Grand Prix reporter.[4][5][6]

Career

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Beginning his career as a motorsports journalist for Autosport magazine, McNally was also involved in sports car racing in the 1960s.[7] He then moved to Switzerland and worked for Philip Morris's Marlboro as a sponsorship consultant.[5][6] Later he was a driver manager of Niki Lauda and James Hunt, respectively.[8]

McNally began working with Bernie Ecclestone in the late 1970s.[6] In 1984, he set up Allsport Management SA, a company which provided corporate hospitality and trackside advertising for Formula One events.[9] Based in Geneva, Allsport and related Allsopp Parker & Marsh (APM), registered in Ireland,[10] owned the trackside advertising rights at Formula One circuits and operated the Formula One Paddock Club, the Grand Prix hospitality provider.[11][12][13]

McNally, along with Ecclestone and Max Mosley, is considered a principal architect of modern Formula One.[14]

In March 2006, he sold Allsport Management to CVC for an estimated £300 million.[15][16] He remained chief executive until 2011, when he announced his retirement.[17][18]

Personal life

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According to the 2014 Sunday Times Rich List, McNally has a net worth of £510 million.[19]

McNally was formerly married to the daughter of Ken Downing with whom, before her death in 1980, he had two sons.[3] He dated Sarah Ferguson (later Duchess of York) between 1982 and 1986.[20][21][22] The pair remain close friends.[23] He has homes in the Côte d'Azur and Switzerland, notably chalets in Verbier.[24][25][26] He also owns Warneford Place, Wiltshire, the former home of Ian Fleming. In 2004, the property was burgled.[27]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Patrick McNally | BRDC Members | British Racing Drivers' Club". www.brdc.co.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  2. ^ "FreeBMD Entry Info". www.freebmd.org.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b Seward, Ingrid (1991). Sarah, HRH the Duchess of York : a biography. Internet Archive. London : HarperCollins. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-00-215188-7.
  4. ^ a b c McNally, Peter (2013). The Time of My Life. Mereo Books, mereobook, mereobooks. pp. 1–7. ISBN 978-1-909304-59-8.
  5. ^ a b Bower, Tom (2011). No Angel: The Secret Life of Bernie Ecclestone. Internet Archive. London : Faber & Faber. pp. 128–130. ISBN 978-0-571-26929-7.
  6. ^ a b c "Paddy McNally". www.grandprix.com. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Paddy McNally | Racing career profile | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  8. ^ "Ireland's Rich List: 41-50". Independent.ie. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Paddy McNally". Irish Independent. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Irish firm linked to F1 made profits of ?137k". Independent.ie. 30 October 2004. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  11. ^ Saward, Joe (4 January 2000). "The Paddock Club". GrandPrix.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2006.
  12. ^ Mosley, Max (2015). Formula One and Beyond: The Autobiography. Simon & Schuster UK. ISBN 978-1471150197.
  13. ^ "McNally to be CEO of Formula One PLC". www.grandprix.com. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  14. ^ "Business F1 Magazine on McNally, Ecclestone and Mosley". Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  15. ^ "CVC buys Allsport - Grandprix.com". www.grandprix.com. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  16. ^ "Grand prix, grand prizes". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  17. ^ "Allsport boss Patrick McNally to retire". Reuters. 7 December 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2020.[dead link‍]
  18. ^ Dron, Will (6 May 2017). "Driving Rich List 2017: Triumph chief powers into second place but Bernie Ecclestone stays top". Sunday Times Driving. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  19. ^ "2014 Sunday Times Rich List reveals wealthiest Brits in motoring". Driving.co.uk from The Sunday Times. 16 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  20. ^ "Fergie: Bedlam Over the Bride". The Washington Post. 1986.
  21. ^ Cochrane, Kira (24 May 2010). "Why I feel sorry for Sarah Ferguson". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  22. ^ "McNally tops Donegal Rich List with €517m". www.donegallive.ie. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  23. ^ Maguire, Stephen (8 February 2011). "The Donegal millionaire who is still cutting a dash with royalty". Donegal Daily. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  24. ^ "The Beginnings of a Royal Catfight? Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson's Fraught Relationship". Vanity Fair. 21 August 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  25. ^ Times, The Sunday. "Jamie Blandford: Dodging the ghosts of Cocaine Castle". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  26. ^ Journal, The Gentleman's. "'Sloane Square on the Slopes': The enduring British love affair with Verbier". The Gentleman's Journal. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  27. ^ "Daring raid on tycoon's home". Wiltshire Gazette & Herald. 22 June 2004. Retrieved 17 August 2020.