Sauber sponsor Slim tops world rich list

Business magazine Forbes has named Sauber sponsor Carlos Slim the richest man on earth. 71-year-old Slim, the Mexican telecoms magnate who is backing the Swiss team and its rookie Sergio Perez this year through his company Telmex and its subsidiaries, grew his fortune over the past year by more than $20 billion to $74bn, the magazine said.

F1's chief executive and 'supremo' Bernie Ecclestone is 254th on the world rich list with $4.2bn, and Virgin figurehead Sir Richard Branson is reportedly equally rich.

Slightly wealthier is Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso owner Dietrich Mateschitz with $5 billion, while Force India's Vijay Mallya is ranked 879th on the billionaire's list with $1.4bn.