Former Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone told AFP that the furore over remarks he made on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were “good publicity for Silverstone”, which is hosting this weekend’s British Grand Prix.
In an interview on British television on Thursday, the 91-year-old defended both former world champion Nelson Piquet, who allegedly used a racial slur when discussing seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in a podcast last year, and Russian president Vladimir Putin.
In the TV interview, Ecclestone called Putin a “first-class person” and said “I’d still take a bullet for him.”
Formula One responded in a statement that Ecclestone’s “personal views are in very stark contrast to the position of the modern values of our sport.”
Hamilton also said on Thursday that “these old voices” – three-time world champion Piquet is 69 – should not be given a platform.
Ecclestone – who transformed the sport into a global multi-billion-dollar commercial giant – was unabashed.