F1 boss Ecclestone attacked

London police say the 80-year-old Ecclestone was treated in a hospital for a minor head injury after being punched and kicked by four men following his arrival at the Knightsbridge offices of Formula One Holdings on Wednesday night.

“Police were called at about 10:30pm on Wednesday, clinic 24 November to reports of a man and a woman robbed on Princes Gate,” a Scotland Yard spokesman is quoted as having said by The Independent. “The man was taken to a west London hospital for treatment to a minor head injury and was subsequently discharged. There were no reports of any other injuries.

“Officers from Westminster robbery squad are investigating. There have been no arrests and inquiries continue. The items stolen are believed to be a quantity of jewellery.”

“There can be little doubt that this was a targeted robbery because of who Mr. Ecclestone is,” added a senior police source, according to The Sun, with initial suspicions that it was the same gang behind it as is being sought for other high-profile attacks. “The muggers were callous and showed little regard for the victims. They need to be caught.”

Ecclestone owns a £10 million mansion in Chelsea and has several other homes around the world, and four years ago two wheels on his brand new Mercedes-Benz CLS55 AMG – reputedly the first of its kind in the country – were stolen.

Less than three weeks ago, the Formula One Management (FOM) chief executive defended the future status of the Brazilian Grand Prix on the annual F1 calendar in the wake of the attempted carjacking on McLaren-Mercedes star and 2009 world champion Jenson Button, claiming São Paulo is ‘as safe as anywhere in the world’, reasoning that ‘in London…it’s surprising the number of people that get mugged hourly’ and calling for ‘more police there’

Police are investigating but have not arrested anyone.