Formula One has tried to distance itself from remarks made by its former chief executive, Bernie Ecclestone, who said he would “take a bullet” for Russian President Vladimir Putin and describe him as a “first-class man”.
Ecclestone, who has reportedly been friends with Putin since the introduction of the Russian Grand Prix in 2014, said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could have been avoided if the latter’s president, Vladimir Zelensky, had done more.
Asked by ITV’s Good Morning Britain if he still considered Putin a friend, the 91-year-old billionaire said: “I would still take a bullet for him. I prefer it not to hurt, but if it does, I would still suffer a bullet, because he is a first-class person. What he is doing is something he believed was the right thing to do for Russia. “
After his appearance, a Formula One spokesman said: “The comments made by Bernie Ecclestone are his personal views and are in stark contrast to the position of modern values of our sport.
Ecclestone, who announced the birth of his fourth child in 2020, along with his wife Fabiana Flossi, 45, are no strangers to conflicting statements.
In an interview with the Times in 2009, he seems to be praising Adolf Hitler: “It’s awful to say, I guess, but other than the fact that Hitler was taken away and persuaded to do things I have no idea if he wanted to do or not, he was – in the way he could command many people – able to do things. “
He went on to criticize Zelensky for distrusting Good Morning Britain host Kate Garaway, who asked: “So, just to be clear, you think President Zelensky should have done more to prevent this war, too. could it have been avoided by Zelensky’s actions and not by a change in Putin’s actions?
Ecclestone replied, “Absolutely.”
He said the war in Ukraine was not “intentional”, adding: “And I am absolutely certain that Ukraine, if they wanted to get out of it properly, could do it.”
Asked if he had the opportunity to talk to Putin about “what a mess” the situation was or urged him to rethink what he was doing, Ecclestone said: “No. He probably thought about it himself. Probably doesn’t need a reminder. I’m absolutely sure that now he wishes he hadn’t started this whole business, but [it] it didn’t start as a war. “
Add Comment