But in a video broadcast on Sky Sports on Saturday, Ecclestone said: “It would probably be good for me to get some things off my chest, things that bother me about what I’ve said and what people think I’ve said.
“I think a lot of times people go out and say things or do things without really thinking too much. I probably did the same, and I can understand people thinking I’m defending what he did in Ukraine, which I’m not.
“I was brought up during the war, the last war, so I know what it’s like. And I feel sorry for the people in Ukraine who have to suffer for something they didn’t do.
“They have done nothing wrong. They haven’t started anything. They want to get on with their lives.
“They want the kids to go to school and try to go to work and make a living to support the family. So they don’t deserve to suffer. It’s not good for anyone. I don’t see anyone getting anything out of this and I think they need to get together and come to an agreement.
“I’m sorry if anything I said upset anyone because it was definitely not intended.”
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was deeply critical of Ecclestone’s comments, saying he should not be given a platform to express his views.
“We don’t need any more,” Hamilton said ahead of last weekend’s British Grand Prix. “To hear from someone who believes in war and the displacement of millions of people and the killing of thousands of people, and the support of this man (Putin) doing that is beyond me. I can’t believe I heard this today.
“It affects all those people out there and people around the world. This will set us back decades and we have yet to see the true severity of the pain.
“So why? We don’t need to support this, but look to the future. We need more positivism. If you have nothing positive to contribute to where we want to go and where we want to be, don’t give them space.”
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