Bernie Ecclestone has returned to the Formula One paddock ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend.
Former F1 supremo Ecclestone, 92, has not been at a race event since before lockdown in Abu Dhabi in 2019 amid fury over comments he made about Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Speaking about the Russian invasion of Ukraine in June, Ecclestone claimed he would "take a bullet" for Putin. F1 bosses distanced themselves from Ecclestone's comments and branded them a "stark contrast" to the values they share with the sporting world.
Ecclestone, who later apologised for his comments, accompanied wife Fabiana in Sao Paulo on Thursday, with his partner working as vice-president of the FIA for South America.
The couple own a coffee farm a short helicopter ride away from the city where this weekend's race will be held.
He had been due to attend the Austria Grand Prix in July but opted against doing so amid opposition to the comments he made about Putin, who he has been pictured with in the past.
"I would take a bullet for him. He is a first class person and what he is doing, he believes is the right thing to do for Russia," he told Good Morning Britain at the end of June.
“Unfortunately he’s like a lot of business people, certainly like me, we make mistakes from time to time. And when you’ve made a mistake you have to do your best to get out of it.”
Ecclestone's 40-year reign as F1 chief executive came to an end in 2017 after it was taken over by Liberty Media.
He recently urged Mick Schumacher to walk away from F1 as he struggles to live up to the expectation of his family name.
Ecclestone said: "Maybe he needs to forget F1 and focus on other series in motorsport. His name is his greatest burden, and he tries to live up to it as best he can - and that is what gets him into his trouble. He should forget [F1] and win in another category."
