Ecclestone is biggest dealmaker in sporting history having signed contracts worth 14.6 bln pounds

A new research has revealed that Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has signed 14.6 billion pounds worth of contracts during his career, which makes him the biggest individual deal maker in the history of professional sport.

Unlike other sports organisations, which have large teams to secure new sponsorship, TV and corporate deals, as well as find other ways to generate money, Formula One relies solely on Ecclestone to negotiate the deals.

The largest single contract Ecclestone has signed was with German broadcaster RTL, which has so far generated 871 million pounds in revenue for the motor sport, The Daily Express reported.

Last year Formula One reportedly had revenue of around 1 billion pounds, of which more than half came from broadcasters and race promoters. The remainder was from sponsors such as Rolex and DHL and corporate hospitality.

On Sunday Ecclestone would be at the inaugural Russian Grand Prix at Sochi, which hosted the Winter Olympics earlier this year. Russia would pay Formula One 25 million pounds a year to host the race.

However, despite his success, there are questions over Formula One's future direction, as Ecclestone will turn 84 later this month and has no successor.

Other sports that also generate big money include the Olympic Games, which made 4.9 billion pounds for the International Olympic Committee over the past 20 years.

The 2014 World Cup in Brazil generated 2.5 billion pounds for the sport's governing body FIFA, the report added.