The story behind Sky F1's exclusive visit to Bernie Ecclestone's ranch...

"In 21 years of making Formula 1 television, I've had very few days like this."

Not my words but those of Martin Brundle after spending the day with Bernie Ecclestone at his ranch in Sao Paulo.

And what an incredible day it was.

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F1's ringmaster - a notoriously private man - had let us into his inner circle. We tasted the coffee from his plantation, picked mangoes in his garden and had a spectacular lunch courtesy of his personal chef. We left buzzing with excitement, struggling to comprehend the enormity of the occasion.

As a television producer, it doesn't get much better than that. Oh, and we filmed it all as well.

So how did our afternoon with the man universally known as Bernie come about?

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Well it began with Chase Carey and the prospective $4.4 billion Liberty Media takeover. Like most F1 fans we wondered what this will mean for Bernie, the son of a fisherman who turned a minority event for car lovers into one of the most watched sports in the world.

Bernie's back story is particularly compelling. A self-confessed wheeler-dealer who has ruled F1 like a dictatorship for nearly 40 years, clever and astute, a control freak with an obsessive attention to detail. 

We wanted to get to know the man behind the myths and the motors, and we wanted to know what the future holds for this one-off maverick, and the empire he's created.

More out of hope than expectation, Martin popped into his office at the US GP in Austin and asked for an interview. "Sure," replied Bernie, "why don't you come to my farm in Sao Paulo? We'll do it there." 

It's no secret that Bernie is a secretive man - he'll give the occasional interview in the paddock, and the odd journalist has visited his office in west London, but his farm in Brazil? It took some believing.

Bernie Meets Brundle

But three weeks later we were in Sao Paulo and Mr Ecclestone had sent his helicopter to fetch us. We were on our way to spend the day with the boss, and we had absolutely no idea what to expect.

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We were greeted by Bernie and his wife Fabiana one minute ahead of schedule and driven in golf buggies the short distance from the helipad to his home. Despite his extraordinary wealth, I was instantly struck by how unostentatious the place was. It was tasteful and felt immediately homely.

A water feature meandered around the front of the house, chefs were preparing lunch in an outside kitchen and bar area, which overlooked a perfectly maintained swimming pool and hard tennis court, two barn owls sat inconspicuously outside their sanctuary, while giant sculptures of elephants, gorillas and giraffes decorated the garden and made you feel like you were in an episode of Narcos one minute and Harry Potter the next.

Fabiana took us into the guest house where we set up for the interview. Martin was as curious and probing as ever, with Bernie playing the role of Formula 1's Godfather to perfection. Whilst his sentences are sometimes fractured, he remains razor sharp and incredibly charming. He has, of course, made some outrageous comments in the past but you suspect his tongue is more often in his cheek than he is given credit for.

He then showed Martin around: pictures of The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Muhammad Ali and Marlon Brando adorn the walls, people he respects, he says, before Fabiana picks us up and drives us to the coffee farm. The size of the ranch becomes clearer as we drive past a mini community of guest homes where the full-time staff are based. We drive past horses and cows before arriving at the plantation. 'Celebrity Coffee', Fabiana's personal project, is in its infancy but she hopes it will be retailed across Europe soon.

And that was that. Bernie tapped me on the shoulder and suggested we turn the cameras off and get some lunch. I wasn't going to argue - he'd given us more than enough. What was barely an idea in Austin had become one of the most surreal days of my life, for a few hours it felt like we were part of his family, a privilege few have been afforded.

In an ever-changing and increasingly corporate world, speaking your mind has become a game that many public figures simply refuse to play. But with Bernie Ecclestone what you see is what you get, and what you get is a self-made billionaire who has single-handedly crafted the global phenomenon that is Formula 1.

On the prospective Liberty media takeover he said to Martin 'if they want to run it like a corporation, I probably won't fit in'. Bernie is firmly of the opinion that committees are a waste of space and he famously prefers a handshake to a contract. In so many ways he is a breath of fresh air and F1 will miss him when he's gone.

Thanks for letting us in Bernie, it was a day we'll never forget.

Don't miss the special 'Bernie and Brundle' programme across the Sky Sports network this weekend and in the build-up to Christmas. The show will also be available to view at a time of your choosing for Sky Sports customers On Demand.