Paddy McNally, founder of Allsport Management and creator of the Formula One Paddock Club, has died aged 88. He transformed hospitality at grands prix and sold Allsport in 2006 for £262 million, remaining CEO for five years. A flamboyant jet-setter, McNally owned properties from Sevenhampton Place to Verbier and remained close to Sarah Ferguson. He is survived by his son Rollo after the earlier death of his son Sean.
Paddy McNally, Architect Of Formula One Hospitality And Noted Bon Vivant, Dies Aged 88
Paddy McNally with Sarah Ferguson in the paddock at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1997: while they were only together for three years, they remained friends for life - PA/Alamy
Paddy McNally, the former racing driver and jet-setting businessman who founded Allsport Management and created the Formula One Paddock Club, has died aged 88 on 22 July 2026. McNally transformed corporate hospitality at grands prix and sold Allsport in 2006 for £262 million.
McNally, working for Autosport magazine, chats to the New Zealand driver Bruce McLaren at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort in 1968 - Sutton Motorsports/ZUMA Press
Early Life and Beginnings
Patrick Sean McNally was born on 20 December 1937 in Gravesend, Kent, the son of an RAF officer, Patrick, and his wife Mary Outred. He was raised in County Monaghan in Ireland and educated at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire. After leaving school he tried several jobs—from selling hire-purchase vacuum cleaners door-to-door to running a bric-a-brac stall on Portobello Road—before using family connections to join Autosport magazine as a journalist.
Playing backgammon with James Hunt in the Marlboro motorhome at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1977 - David Phipps/Sutton Images
Racing, Marlboro and the Move Into Sponsorship
McNally dabbled in motor sport through the 1960s, enjoying modest successes including a win at a Midlands Motoring Enthusiasts Club meeting at Silverstone in 1965 and a fourth-place finish in a Porsche 911 in a 500km race in South Africa in 1969. He later moved to Switzerland to work as a sponsorship consultant for Philip Morris on its Marlboro account, gaining an insider’s knowledge of how Formula One sponsorship and promotion operated.
With Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie at the Cartier International Day at Guards Polo Club, Windsor Great Park, in 2004 - Dave Benett/Getty Images
Allsport Management and the Paddock Club
Working closely with Bernie Ecclestone, McNally founded Geneva-based Allsport Management in 1983. His key innovation was the Formula One Paddock Club, a high-end hospitality concept that placed sponsors, VIPs and clients at the heart of the paddock with privileged access to teams and drivers. The Paddock Club sold only 170 tickets in its first year and nearly faltered, but after persisting it grew into a lucrative global business. McNally sold Allsport to a private equity firm in 2006 for £262 million and remained chief executive for a further five years. Today the Paddock Club sells roughly 50,000 tickets a year, with premium packages fetching up to around $15,000 per person.
With Bernie Ecclestone at the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul in 2007 - Sutton Images
Private Life and Public Persona
McNally cultivated a high-profile, jet-set lifestyle. He owned a portfolio of impressive properties, including Sevenhampton Place in Wiltshire (the final home of Ian Fleming), a grouse moor in the Scottish Highlands and several chalets in Verbier, Switzerland. One Verbier house, "Les Gais Lutins" (the Merry Goblins), attracted sensational tabloid coverage and was nicknamed "Cocaine Castle" in the press; such labels reflect the raucous partying and celebrity gatherings that were reported there in the 1980s.
He married Anne Downing, daughter of racing driver Ken Downing, in 1967; they had two sons, Sean and Rollo. After Anne’s death in 1980, Sarah Ferguson worked as a nanny for his sons and later became McNally’s partner for three years despite an age gap of 22 years. Ferguson later described him as "worldly-wise," saying he taught her much about life. The friendship endured after Ferguson’s marriage to Prince Andrew, and McNally reportedly offered her refuge in his homes during periods of intense press attention.
"He taught me so much about life," Sarah Ferguson told author Andrew Lownie. "Whenever I wanted advice, I turned to him because he was so worldly-wise. He seemed to have seen and done everything."
Later Years
McNally never remarried after Anne’s death. In 2004 he was the victim of a high-profile burglary at Sevenhampton Place by the Johnson Gang, which stole an estimated £750,000 worth of art and antiques. His elder son, Sean, died in April 2026. McNally is survived by his younger son Rollo.
Throughout his life he remained a formative figure in motorsport business, credited with creating a model of hospitality and sponsorship that endures in Formula One today.
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