Divorce will hurt F1 boss

Formula One racing chief Bernie Ecclestone faces a legal battle to recover his 2.4 billion ($6.5 billion) fortune from his wife Slavica after their marriage was ended in the High Court in London yesterday.

The settlement could become the most expensive in legal history because a large portion of his money had been transferred to offshore accounts in his wife's name.

Slavica Ecclestone, 50, was granted a decree nisi on the grounds that the 24-year marriage had "irretrievably" broken down because of her 78-year-old husband's "unreasonable behaviour".

Legal experts have predicted that she could walk away with 1 billion.