The future of Formula One will be on the line on Tuesday when a damages claim begins in London's High Court against the sport's chief executive, Bernie Ecclestone. At the moment F1 is celebrating the climax of another season, after Sebastian Vettel won his fourth world championship in India on Sunday, the future of Ecclestone, who turned 83 on Monday, and with it the sport he has dominated for almost four decades, faces a harsh scrutiny. In a civil action, Ecclestone and three other defendants will fight a claim from the German media group Constantin Medie, that a stake in F1 was sold too cheaply to CVC Capital Partners, who now have a controlling 47% of the business. The suit is linked to bribery charges from the Munich state prosecutor that Ecclestone could face in Germany next year.