Bernie Ecclestone reveals he told wife Fabiana Flosi he wanted SIX children when they met… as the billionaire F1 mogul welcomes his fourth child Ace at age 89
Bernie Ecclestone has hit back at claims he is too old to become a father, saying he wants even more children.
Speaking four days after the birth of his son Ace, the former Formula 1 supremo, 89, even believes he is better placed to be a father now than he ever was.
His wife Fabiana Flosi, 44, gave birth on Wednesday to her first child and Bernie’s fourth, weighing a healthy 7lb 1oz.
New addition: Bernie Ecclestone, 89, welcomed his fourth child Ace this week with wife Fabiana Flosi
He told The Sun on Sunday: ‘Now I have more time on my hands and I hope I can spend it with my son as he grows up. I don’t know if we will stop here. Perhaps he should have a little brother or sister.
‘Fabiana said she wanted a family, and I told her, “That’s no problem for me. Half a dozen kids is great”.’
Bernie is already father to Petra, 31, Tamara, 36, from his second marriage to Armani model Radic, and also shares daughter Debora, 65, with Ivy, his first wife.
Not done yet? The Formula 1 supremo says he may want more children, saying Ace could want a little brother or sister
He admitted that he was previously more worried about running his business than looking after his children.
And he believes this time around he will be a hands-on dad.
He said: ‘I will be listed to do lots of things by Fabiana, like changing nappies and so on, and that’s fine.’
Family affair! The father-of-four’s latest arrival is 65 years younger than his first child Deborah (pictured L-R Bernie, Fabiana, Tamara and Tamara’s husband Jay Rutland in 2018)
Bernie, who turns 90 in October, has been isolating in his ski chalet in Switzerland for the past three months.
The former Formula 1 mogul married marketing director Fabiana in 2012 – three years after he divorced Croatian model Slavica.
They met through the World Motor Sport Council, where she regularly attended meetings.
They knew each other professionally for a few years before a mutual friend invited Fabiana on a cruise around Croatia with Bernie and others in 2009.
Fabian recently told the Daily Mail: ‘Like all parents, we have only one wish: the child must be born healthy. ‘Hopefully he will never express the intention to do something with Formula 1.’
Bernie added: ‘After my Formula 1 time, we’ve had plenty of time to practice!’
He went on to speak about the current coronavirus pandemic, and said he ‘just wants everything to be good with Fabiana’ should the isolation go on longer.
Family: Bernie is proud dad to daughters Tamara, 35, and Petra, 31 (pictured in 2010) as well as his eldest child Deborah
‘Fortunately the farm never runs out of work,’ he added. ‘Fabiana also looks after her own coffee plantation.’
‘I’m very happy for my wife. She’s been looking forward to this happening for quite a few years, so I’m happy she’ll have someone after I’m gone. It’s fun, I’ve got grandchildren and I’m looking forward to having another baby.’
When asked about his fears of Fabiana being pregnant in the midst of the pandemic, Bernie told MailOnline in April: ‘You hope it’s not going to happen but these things do happen so you just have to cope, what else can you do?
‘You have to hope that the people who are looking after everything have not caught anything themselves.
Bernie and his wife spent the beginning of lockdown at his farm near Sao Paul, Brazil, and then travelled to Switzerland.
Bernie – dubbed ‘F1 Supremo’ – is a former chief executive of the Formula 1 Group, which manages Formula 1 and part-owns Delta Topco.
He entered two Grand Prix races as a driver himself in 1958, but ultimately failed to qualify for either of them.
Former flame: His eldest, Deborah, 65, was born to his first wife Ivy Bamford before he welcomed socialites Tamara, 35, and Petra, 31, with his second wife Slavica Radic (pictured)
The former F1 boss later became the manager of drivers Stuart Lewis-Evans and Jochen Rindt before he purchased the Brabham team in 1972, which he went on to lead for 15 years.
Bernie’s daughter Petra announced last month that she had given birth to her first child with fiance Sam Palmer, 37.
She is already mother to daughter Lavinia, seven, and five-year-old twin sons James and Andrew with ex-husband James Stunt, whom she divorced in 2017.
Tamara – who is married to art mogul Jay Rutland, 38, with whom she has a six-year-old daughter called Sophia – said she was ‘absolutely thrilled’ for her father.
After being told that her father was set to welcome another child, Tamara told the Mail On Sunday that she was ‘surprised but not totally blindsided.
Tamara, who revealed they were told over a family lunch, said: ‘We had no idea what was going on. We just thought we were meeting Dad and Fabi for a meal. We were in the middle of eating when Fabiana told us.
‘My husband missed it. he was like, “hold on a minute, what’s going on? Have I missed something?”
Always keen to treat his offspring equally, Bernie immediately called his youngest daughter, Petra, who was pregnant with her fourth child and living in Los Angeles.
Tamara said: ‘He wanted us all to know at the same time, It was all done very diplomatically.’
One member of the family who had already guessed, though, was Tamara’s own daughter Fifi, who predicted she would be getting a new aunt or uncle in the near future, ‘because that’s what married couples do’.
‘Fifi had said to Fabiana: ‘have you got a baby in your tummy?’. Fabiana replied, saying: ‘Maybe one day, who knows what will happen.’ But she was pregnant.
‘It goes without saying that it’s an unusual family situation.’
Tamara added: ‘Three of his five grandchildren are girls, too. My sister has two boys but this will be Dad’s first – so you can imagine how excited he is.
‘It’s going to be very different for him, you know. He is used to being surrounded by women so this will be a big change. I guess it starts to even things out a bit for him.’
Daughter: Bernie’s daughter Petra announced last month that she had given birth to her first child with fiance Sam Palmer, 37
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