Coulthard shares Beatles legend George Harrison’s secret F1 song ‘Bernie Says’

Speaking to Motorsport Magazine, Coulthard recalled a surreal evening in Australia when he attended a dinner with former Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug and legendary musician George Harrison.

“Musicians always came around F1, and a surreal rock star moment was when George Harrison was still alive,” Coulthard said. “We went to a dinner in Melbourne with Norbert Haug, and George was there."

The track, according to Coulthard, was a light-hearted but pointed nod to Ecclestone’s reputation for running F1 with an iron grip.

“The chorus line was basically: ‘Bernie says, do this, Bernie says…’ It was just showing that Bernie was the dictator of F1, that everything that happened would be because Bernie had decided,” he explained.

But in true Harrison fashion, the song was delivered with charm rather than malice. “It was done in a musical, quirky, Beatles, George Harrison way, which was kind of a moment! [You think] wow, this is pretty special!”

Ecclestone’s leadership turned Formula 1 into a global sporting giant, but his often authoritarian style has long divided opinion, making Harrison’s unreleased song a fascinating, if tongue-in-cheek, snapshot of the era.