Formula 1 says comments made by former CEO Bernie Ecclestone regarding support for Russian president Vladimir Putin and Nelson Piquet’s racial remark about Lewis Hamilton are a “stark constant to its modern values”.
Ecclestone was speaking in an interview on ITV show Good Morning Britain, when he was asked about three-time world champion Piquet referring to Hamilton through a racist slur.
Piquet, who drove for Ecclestone when he was team boss at Brabham, issued a statement on Wednesday apologising for his comments, but denied any racial intent.
It is understood Piquet’s access to the F1 paddock has been revoked following his remarks, but Ecclestone moved to defend his former driver of any wrongdoing.
He claimed it was “not the sort of thing Nelson would say meaning something bad” and that “lots of things he says which might upset us or might feel a little bit offensive – to him it’s nothing. It’s just part of conversation”.
Ecclestone went on to say he was surprised that Hamilton “hasn’t just brushed it aside. Or, better than that, replied”.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton responded to the matter on social media, saying Piquet’s comments “have no place in our sport” and called for changes to shift “archaic mindsets”.
Ecclestone was also asked his thoughts on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in which he defended the actions of Putin in the wake of the ongoing war.
“I would still take a bullet for him. I’d rather it didn’t hurt but I would still take a bullet,” he said.
The 91-year-old added: “He’s a first class person, and what he’s doing is something that he believed was the right thing.
“Unfortunately he’s like a lot of business people, certainly like me, that we make mistakes from time to time and when you make the mistake, you have to do the best you can to get out of it.”
F1 took swift action to Putin’s military attack on Ukraine by cancelling this year’s Russian Grand Prix before terminating its ties with Russia for the forceable future.
Following the interview, F1 issued a statement stressing Ecclestone’s personal views were not in line with its current values.
“The comments made by Bernie Ecclestone are his personal views and are in very stark contrast to position of the modern values of the sport,” the statement reads.
Ecclestone was F1’s chief executive for over four decades until his tenure ended in 2017 when Liberty Media acquired the rights to own the series.
Comments.
Loading comments…