Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone says he'd 'take a bullet' for Vladimir Putin, calling him a 'first-class particular person'

June 30, 2022 Muricas News 0 Comments

Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone says he'd 'take a bullet' for Vladimir Putin, calling him a 'first-class particular person' [ad_1]

When requested on British TV present Good Morning Britain if President Putin was nonetheless a pal of his, the 91-year-old Englishman stated on Thursday: "I might nonetheless take a bullet for him. I might reasonably it did not damage, however I'd nonetheless take a bullet."
Almost 5 months after Russia invaded Ukraine, the battle continues. 1000's of lives have been misplaced and hundreds of thousands have been displaced, in keeping with the UN, and although Kyiv racked up a sequence of early victories within the preliminary aftermath, the tide seems to be turning within the Kremlin's favor, particularly within the east.

"What he is doing is one thing that he believed was the appropriate factor," Ecclestone stated of the battle.

"Sadly, he is like loads of businesspeople, actually like me, that we make errors occasionally and if you make the error, you must do the perfect you possibly can to get out of it."

Ecclestone, who was changed as chief govt of F1 in 2017 after practically 4 many years in cost, additionally went on to criticize Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's dealing with of the invasion.

"The opposite particular person in Ukraine ... his career I perceive, he was once a comic -- and I believe evidently he needs to proceed that career," he stated.

"I believe if he'd thought of issues, he would positively have made a sufficiently big effort to talk to Putin, who's a wise particular person, and would have listened to him and will have in all probability executed one thing about it."

When questioned on the very fact Russia's invasion of Ukraine had claimed the lives of hundreds of harmless folks, Ecclestone replied: "It wasn't intentional."

And requested whether or not Zelensky might have executed extra to cease the battle, Ecclestone stated: "Completely."

In a press release despatched to Muricas News, Formulation 1 stated: "The feedback made by Bernie Ecclestone are his private views and are in very stark distinction to the place of the fashionable values of our sport."

On the time of publication, the FIA, motorsport's governing physique, had but to reply to Muricas News's request for a remark.

Ecclestone backed Putin on homosexual rights

The British billionaire is not any stranger to controversy. In 2009, he praised Adolf Hitler for being "in a position to get issues executed" -- feedback he later apologized for -- and stated that girls ought to costume in white "like all different home home equipment."
In 2020, within the aftermath of George Floyd's homicide, Ecclestone informed Muricas News that "Black persons are extra racist than what White persons are."

Following these feedback, F1 issued a press release on its web site saying it "fully disagreed" with Ecclestone.

Ecclestone and Putin have lengthy been allies. Their relationship was key in establishing the Russian Grand Prix, which made its debut in Sochi in 2014.

That very same 12 months, whereas on the helm of F1, Ecclestone informed Muricas News that he "fully agrees" with anti-gay laws launched by Putin, prohibiting the spreading of so-called homosexual propaganda to minors, arguing critics had misrepresented Putin.

And in an interview aired on February 25 this 12 months, only a day after Russia invaded Ukraine, Ecclestone described Putin as "honorable."

"As an individual I discovered him very easy and honorable," he informed Occasions Radio. "He did precisely what he stated he was going to do with none arguments."

Ecclestone on Piquet racial slur

On the British morning present, Ecclestone additionally commented on Nelson Piquet's use of a racist slur aimed toward Lewis Hamilton, for which the Brazilian has since apologized.

Three-time world champion Piquet -- who received two of his three world titles whereas driving for the staff that Ecclestone used to personal, Brabham -- used a Brazilian Portuguese racial slur to explain seven-time champion Hamilton when addressing a high-speed collision involving Hamilton and Max Verstappen through the British Grand Prix final 12 months.

On Wednesday, Piquet addressed his feedback, which had been made in November final 12 months however solely got here to gentle not too long ago, when the interview was launched on Monday.

Piquet stated the racial slur he used had no racist intent, saying he strongly condemned "any suggestion that the phrase was utilized by me with the goal of belittling a driver due to his pores and skin coloration."

Ecclestone stated he was "shocked Lewis hasn't simply brushed it apart, or higher than that, replied."

He added: "It is in all probability not applicable with us, however in all probability, it is not one thing horrible that occurs when you stated that in Brazil.

"However folks say issues, and other people discuss folks in the event that they occur to be little bit obese, or a bit of bit undersized like me. I am fairly certain folks have made remarks about that. If I might have heard it, I might have been in a position to take care of it myself with out an excessive amount of bother."

Formulation 1, Hamilton's staff Mercedes, and the FIA on Tuesday condemned Piquet for utilizing the racial slur.

Hamilton, who has essentially the most race wins in F1 historical past, stated the "time has come for motion" on racism, and responded to Piquet's feedback in a sequence of posts on Twitter, writing: "Vamos focar em mudar a mentalidade" -- Portuguese for "Let's give attention to altering the mindset."

George Ramsay and Amanda Davies contributed to this report.


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