The wife of the Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone filed for divorce Thursday in what could be one of the biggest settlements in legal history.

Mr Ecclestone is worth an estimated £2.4 billion with properties across the world, a Falcon jet, a 190ft yacht and part ownership of Queens Park Rangers Football Club.

But the 78-year-old could be facing a large payout as many of his assets are in the name of his wife Slavica.

The Ecclestones have been married for 24 years and have two daughters, Tamara, 24, and Petra, 19.

They have always made an unusual couple as Mrs Ecclestone is 28 years younger and 10inches taller than her 5ft 4in husband.

On Thursday, the former Armani model asked the lawyer Liz Vernon, who secured a third of all future earnings for the ex-wife of the England footballer Ray Parlour, to negotiate her divorce — though she apparently failed to tell her husband.

Mrs Ecclestone, 50, released a statement via the PR agency Borkowski which said: “It is formally announced that Mrs Slavica Ecclestone has filed for divorce.

“Mrs Ecclestone has asked that her privacy and that of her children should be respected.”

But Mr Ecclestone seemed taken aback by the news.

“Really?” he said, when contacted by The Daily Telegraph. “Oh... We will see. I didn’t even know she had a PR company. You hear of things — I must find out.”

However, a friend of Mrs Ecclestone insisted that the F1 boss had been told about the impending divorce.

“He did know about this,” the friend said. “I think there is a slight case of trying to position himself as a wounded party.”

Mr Ecclestone said his wife had moved out of their £10 million Chelsea home because the next door neighbours were renovating their home. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH