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Paddy McNally

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Paddy McNally
McNally in 1971
Born
Patrick Sean McNally

(1937-12-20)20 December 1937
Gravesend, Kent, England
Died22 July 2026(2026-07-22) (aged 88)
Sevenhampton, Wiltshire, England
Occupations
  • Motorsport executive
  • entrepreneur
  • racing driver
  • journalist
Years active1963–2011
TermManaging director of Allsport Management
Spouse
Anne Downing
​
​
(m. 1967; died 1980)​
Children2

Patrick Sean McNally (20 December 1937 – 22 July 2026) was a British businessman and racing driver. He was chief executive of Allsport Management, a Swiss-based company which controlled Formula One advertising and hospitality via the Paddock Club.

Aside from motorsport, he became well known in Britain in the 1980s for his relationship with Sarah Ferguson as a result of her subsequent marriage in 1986 to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Prince Andrew, Duke of York.

Early life

[edit]

Patrick Sean McNally was born on 20 December 1937 in Gravesend, Kent,[1] the son of Group Captain Patrick McNally, an RAF medical officer, and Mary Deane Outred.[2][3] His uncle was racing driver Redmond Gallagher.[4] He was raised at Poplar Vale in County Monaghan,[5][6] and then educated at Stonyhurst College.[2] In his youth he excelled at rugby and boxing.[7] After abandoning training as an accountant, he worked as a travelling salesman.[2]

His elder brother was LWT director Peter McNally (1933–2021). The pair were close and were early habitués of Verbier since the late 1970s.[7][8]

Career

[edit]

Entering the world of motorsport, McNally's first race was in 1959.[9] He continued mid-level sports car, rally and endurance racing throughout the 1960s; winning several notable races, but otherwise achieving little success.[4][9][10] Meanwhile, since 1963 he was employed as a motorsports journalist for Autosport magazine.[11]

Residing in Lausanne on Lake Geneva, McNally then worked for Philip Morris's Marlboro as a sponsorship consultant.[11][12] He and his wife, Anne "Twist" Downing, a Monte Carlo heiress, were part of the racing set that included Jackie Stewart.[2] He was briefly driver manager of Niki Lauda in the mid-1970s.[2] Later, he was also a manager for James Hunt, a friend whom he "looked after" on behalf of Marlboro between 1977 and 1979.[13]

By 1983, McNally had begun working with Bernie Ecclestone.[12][14] In December 1983, he set up Allsport Management SA, a company that provided corporate hospitality and trackside advertising for Formula One events.[14][15] Based in Geneva, Allsport and the related Allsopp Parker & Marsh (APM), registered in Ireland,[16] owned the trackside advertising rights at Formula One circuits and operated the Formula One Paddock Club,[17] the Grand Prix hospitality provider.[18][dead link][19][20] Allsport also managed the podium ceremonies at Grand Prix races.[21] In March 2006, he sold Allsport Management to CVC for an undisclosed figure.[22][23][24] He remained chief executive until 2011, when he announced his retirement.[25][26][27] McNally was considered a principal architect of modern commercial Formula One.[28][29]

Personal life and death

[edit]

In 1967, McNally married Anne Downing, daughter of the wealthy racing driver Ken Downing; they had two sons, Sean and Rollo.[3][30] They later separated, and she died from cancer in 1980.[2] McNally dated Sarah Ferguson (formerly Duchess of York) between 1982 and 1985.[31][32][33][34] She called him "the Toad"[2] and hoped to marry him.[35] The pair remained close friends.[36][37] He was also linked romantically with Finnish fashion model Nina Rindt.[4]

McNally owned chalets in the Swiss ski resort Verbier from 1980: the main of which, Les Gais Lutins, euphemistically named "the Castle",[34] was dubbed "Cocaine Castle".[2][38][39][40] Here he frequently hosted hedonistic parties.[2] He also owned a villa, Le Clos de Meaux, near Seillans in Provence, where guests included Diana, Princess of Wales.[41][42]

In 1987, he acquired his principal residence, Sevenhampton Place in Sevenhampton, Wiltshire, the former home of James Bond author Ian Fleming.[43][44] He also led a restoration project of the Georgian property Buckland House.[45] In 2008, a grouse moor estate near Grantown-on-Spey owned by McNally was raided by Scottish wildlife police.[46]

In 2017, McNally ranked 20th on The Sunday Times Irish Rich List and 206th in the UK, with an estimated fortune of €718 million.[2]

In April 2026, it was reported that McNally's son Sean had died "very suddenly" aged 56.[47] He had been living remotely in the Scottish Highlands, and his death has been described as "mysterious".[47][48][49]

McNally died on 22 July 2026, aged 88.[2][4] His funeral took place at St James's Church, Sevenhampton, on 14 August, which Princess Beatrice attended.[50]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Patrick McNally | BRDC Members | British Racing Drivers' Club". www.brdc.co.uk. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Paddy McNally obituary: one-time boyfriend to Sarah Ferguson". The Times. 23 July 2026. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 Seward, Ingrid (1991). Sarah, HRH the Duchess of York: a biography. pp. 76–78. ISBN 978-0-00-215188-7.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Paddy McNally, playboy who made a fortune in Formula One and was closely linked with Sarah Ferguson". The Daily Telegraph. 24 July 2026. Archived from the original on 24 July 2026. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  5. ↑ McNally, Frank (24 July 2026). "Paddy Englishman: Frank McNally on a 'multimillionaire playboy' namesake with Monaghan roots". The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  6. ↑ Hunt, Abigail (23 July 2026). "Sarah Ferguson's ex motorsport tycoon dies aged 88". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  7. 1 2 McNally, Peter (2013). The Time of My Life: Triumph and Tragedy at London Weekend Television. Mereo Books. ISBN 978-1-909304-61-1.
  8. ↑ Debrett's People of Today. Debrett's Peerage. 2002. p. 1307.
  9. 1 2 "Patrick McNally - All Results - Racing Sports Cars". www.racingsportscars.com. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  10. ↑ "Paddy McNally | Racing career profile | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  11. 1 2 Bower, Tom (2011). No Angel: The Secret Life of Bernie Ecclestone. Internet Archive. London : Faber & Faber. pp. 128–130. ISBN 978-0-571-26929-7.
  12. 1 2 "Paddy McNally". www.grandprix.com. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  13. ↑ Rubython, Tom (2010). Shunt: The Story of James Hunt. pp. 471–472, 584–585. ISBN 978-0-9565656-0-0.
  14. 1 2 Lovell, Terry (2009). Bernie Ecclestone: King of Sport. Internet Archive. John Blake. pp. 68–71. ISBN 978-1-78219-262-6.
  15. ↑ "Paddy McNally". Irish Independent. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  16. ↑ "Irish firm linked to F1 made profits of ?137k". Independent.ie. 30 October 2004. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  17. ↑ "Feeding the Formula One beast -- the business of F1". Autoweek. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  18. ↑ Saward, Joe (4 January 2000). "The Paddock Club". GrandPrix.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2006.
  19. ↑ Mosley, Max (2015). Formula One and Beyond: The Autobiography. Simon & Schuster UK. ISBN 978-1471150197.
  20. ↑ "McNally to be CEO of Formula One PLC". www.grandprix.com. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  21. ↑ "Latest Formula 1 Breaking News - Grandprix.com". www.grandprix.com. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  22. ↑ "CVC buys Allsport - Grandprix.com". www.grandprix.com. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  23. ↑ "Grand prix, grand prizes". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  24. ↑ "2014 Sunday Times Rich List reveals wealthiest Brits in motoring". Driving.co.uk from The Sunday Times. 16 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  25. ↑ "Allsport boss Patrick McNally to retire". Reuters. 7 December 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2020.[dead link]
  26. ↑ Dron, Will (6 May 2017). "Driving Rich List 2017: Triumph chief powers into second place but Bernie Ecclestone stays top". Sunday Times Driving. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  27. ↑ "Patrick «Paddy» McNally - 300 Plus Riches | Bilan". bilan.ch (in French).
  28. ↑ "Business F1 Magazine on McNally, Ecclestone and Mosley". 30 August 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  29. ↑ Kalinauckas, Alex (2025). "How Formula One's premium hospitality evolved from standard to stratospheric". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  30. ↑ Kretschmer, Anna (11 October 2019). "Why Sarah Ferguson feared Prince Andrew would 'write her off'". Express.co.uk.
  31. ↑ Burnet, Alastair (1986). The Book of the Royal Wedding. Summit Books. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-671-63303-5.
  32. ↑ "Fergie: Bedlam Over the Bride". The Washington Post. 1986.
  33. ↑ Cochrane, Kira (24 May 2010). "Why I feel sorry for Sarah Ferguson". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  34. 1 2 "The Beginnings of a Royal Catfight? Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson's Fraught Relationship". Vanity Fair. 21 August 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  35. ↑ Dickie, Douglas (2026). "Disgraced Sarah Ferguson heartbroken after death of man she hoped to marry". Scottish Daily Express. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  36. ↑ Wilson, Christopher (2025). "Royal exiles: Andrew and Fergie will follow in Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson's footsteps". The Telegraph.
  37. ↑ "The shameless lives of the Duke and Duchess of York". The Observer.
  38. ↑ "'Sloane Square on the Slopes': The enduring British love affair with Verbier". The Gentleman's Journal. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  39. ↑ Times, The Sunday (25 November 2012). "Jamie Blandford: Dodging the ghosts of Cocaine Castle". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  40. ↑ "'The curse' of Paddy McNally". Sunday Independent. Dublin, Ireland. 7 March 1993. p. 9.
  41. ↑ Content, Contributed (19 July 1996). "DIANA, FERGIE TO FILE CHARGES AGAINST PHOTOGRAPHERS". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  42. ↑ "DEATH CURSE OF FERGIE AND DI'S FRENCH HOLIDAY VILLA! - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  43. ↑ "Daring raid on tycoon's home". Wiltshire Gazette & Herald. 22 June 2004. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  44. ↑ "Paddy McNally". The Times. 26 April 2009.
  45. ↑ Georgian property Buckland House lives again (2010) The Telegraph
  46. ↑ Carrell, Severin (March 2008). "Wildlife police raid Scottish grouse moor". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
  47. 1 2 Ranxburgaj, Elizabeta (23 May 2026). "Fergie's grief at death of old flame's son she was nanny for". Daily Mirror.
  48. ↑ Graham, Caroline (26 July 2026). "Paddy McNally On Fortune". Scottish Mail.
  49. ↑ "Sarah Ferguson's Ex Paddy McNally Dies at 88, Two Months After Son's Tragic Passing". inkl. 23 July 2026. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  50. ↑ Dye, Eleanor (14 August 2026). "Solemn Princess Beatrice represents Sarah Ferguson at ex-boyfriend Paddy McNally's funeral – see photos". Hello!. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
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