Exclusive Racing

Paddy McNally. 1937 – 2026

I first met Paddy in 2000, during my very first Formula 1 weekend, inside Bernie Ecclestone’s motorhome. When I realized who he was, the man behind the Paddock Club I was struck by the same thought I still have today: almost no one outside Formula 1 realizes that one man invented the entire hospitality model of modern Formula 1.

In 1984, he created it from nothing. Before him, premium hospitality in this sport did not exist as a concept. He turned it into a global standard, delivered with the same quality from Monaco to Suzuka, Grand Prix after Grand Prix.

Twenty-six years after that first meeting, we are still operating inside the world he created.

Tens of thousands of guests now walk through the Paddock Club every season. Many discovered Formula 1 through Drive to Survive. Very few know the name of the man who imagined all of this.

Thank you, Paddy.