2023 was a historic year for Max Verstappen and Red Bull, as they broke the benchmark they had set themselves in 2022. The Milton Keynes-based team, with Verstappen at their helm, cruised to a whopping 21 Grand Prix wins in a 22-race calendar. Naturally, with the year coming to its conclusion, too, the time was ripe for yet another Bernie Ecclestone Christmas greeting card. And this time, Red Bull’s dominant championship campaign was the inadvertent target.
Ecclestone’s end-of-year greetings are infamous for its corrosive and critical tone, this time around, however, he was in a change of mood.
Ecclestone’s greeting read, “I regret not having been able to think of anything exciting or strange that has happened this year that can be illustrated in my usual card. So I wish you a happy and peaceful end to the year in which 2024 will bring you everything that is good for you and a more stable world. Bernie,” hence, lacking his usual acidic commentary.
Formula 1 News: Ecclestone’s annual Christmas Card message https://t.co/B3VVPuJ34d Every year, Bernie Ecclestone sends out a Christmas Card to the Formula 1 community with a sublime message, but for 2023 he appears to have mellowed. pic.twitter.com/Iy36gA3MMU
— AutoRacing1.com (@AutoRacing1) December 22, 2023
But Red Bull taskmaster, Helmut Marko pointed out the first line of his card as a testament of how the Bulls’ performance irked the entire paddock. “What an announcement. We got a big slap from Bernie for Christmas.” said the Austrian to Auto Bild.
Irrespective, Ecclestone’s card was a warm reminder of the festivities to come. The card was a beautifully illustrated piece of art depicting a snowy scenery based on a beaten-up path or probably an abandoned racing circuit.
Bernie Ecclestone and his iconic Christmas greetings
During his time in Formula 1, Ecclestone was the one adding personality to the paddock. Even when he’s gone, the remnants of his time still echo the illustrious reign under his regime. One such ritual that laced the sport was his off-season Christmas cards. And over the years, he’s served us some treats!
For instance, in 2018, he posted a hilarious caricature of Toto Wolff and the other team bosses gossiping in the paddock. 2017 was another feather in Ecclestone’s cap as he sent out a card that read, “Chase [F1’s Executive Chairman] is trying his best not to fall on his way to find 6 races in the USA! Bernie made it with a little help from his friends!”
Bernie Ecclestone has produced another great Christmas card – pic.twitter.com/22gwyCLl
— Motorsport Week (@MotorsportWeek) December 20, 2012
There are a few classics in his archive, too. In 2007, he featured a card showing the recent scandal that had rocked the racing world: Spygate with McLaren spying on Ferrari. And in 2012, he put one out showing his foresight as Lewis Hamilton jumped ship from McLaren to Mercedes.
Ecclestone imbibes the essence of F1. And his greeting cards always highlight the past year’s key moments in a hilariously Ecclestone-esque manner.
