Ecclestone loses his wheels

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone lost his wheels at the weekend after thieves struck outside his London home.

British newspapers reported on Monday that the British billionaire's new silver Mercedes had been jacked up and left on two wheels.

"It's a real nuisance. It was only the first night I had the car," Ecclestone told the Daily Telegraph after the theft early on Saturday morning. "They probably think they can sell the wheels and make some money, but they probably can't."

The Times said the car, a CLS55 AMG V8, was the first of its kind in Britain.

It had been an eventful week already for Ecclestone, 74, whose Formula One Administration (FOA) company reached an out-of-court settlement with three banks in a legal battle for control of the sport.

One of the banks, BayernLB, said later that Ecclestone had effectively given in to all their demands.