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Ecclestone: Bribery charges will be dropped

Ecclestone leaving the High Court in November © Associated Press

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Bernie Ecclestone admits he is confident the bribery charges against him will be dismissed before his trial begins in April.

Ecclestone faces charges of bribery and incitement to breach of trust over the $45 million (£27 million) that was paid to German banker Gerhard Gribowsky during the sale of Formula One in 2005. Bribery convictions can result in prison sentences ranging from three months to 10 years in Germany, with Gribowsky currently serving an eight-and-a-half-year sentence for corruption.

After he was indicted in January, Ecclestone stepped down from the board of the company which runs F1, though he remains in charge of the sport "subject to increased monitoring". He admits paying Gribowsky but denies bribery.

"Bet you it doesn't happen... things happen in life and you have to get on with it," Ecclestone told the BBC.

Ecclestone's trial is scheduled to take place in Munich between April 24 and September 16.

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