People

Paddy McNally

Patrick McNally first made his mark in motor racing as the Grand Prix reporter for Autosport magazine in London but after a couple of seasons reporting on the sport he decided to work in the commercial side of the business and after a spell as a driver manager he became a sponsorship consultant with Marlboro. This brought him into close contact with Bernie Ecclestone and by the end of the 1970s McNally was working with Ecclestone, tidying up the trackside signage at races.At the time Formula 1 was under pressure from the European Broadcasting Union to introduce standards in trackside advertising. McNally developed a system of signage which gave advertisers maximum TV exposure. In the end he took over the sales of most of F1's trackside advertising. In 1984 McNally expanded operations with the start of his Paddock Club concept, which has grown into a multi-million dollar business. His Allsport Management company is based in Geneva, Switzerland.McNally has become known in recent years in Britain because of his friendship with Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.