Bernie Ecclestone made three controversial comments to CNN last Friday. On the one hand, he argued that the commission created by Lewis Hamilton to bring more diversity to the sport would not change anything. On the other hand, he wondered why the FOM (and Lewis Hamilton) had not acted earlier for this diversity. Finally, he argued that blacks could be more racist than whites.
This last outing earned him a salty response from the FOM, which by means of an official press release, insisted on moving away frankly from the words of the former great financier, asserting in passing that he was no longer , since last January, the president emeritus of F1.
The response of the shepherd to the shepherdess arrived in the columns of the newspaper The Mail in the United Kingdom: Bernie Ecclestone advances the track of the incomprehension…
“I am not against black people. On the contrary, I have always been very much in favor of them. In fact, Lewis’ father [Anthony] wanted to go into business with me. He made beautiful fitness machines. I wouldn’t even have thought of it if I had been anti-black. If the project had been good, I would have gone. “
“Over the years, I have met many white people whom I did not like, but never a black man who I did not like. “
“I have been attacked several times, including once by three blacks. I ended up in the hospital, but even after that, I was never against someone who was black. I don’t think of Lewis as a black man or anything else. He’s just Lewis for me. “
“If a black or white man is denied a job, we have to ask why. Is it because of the color of their skin, or because they were not up to par? That’s what I said. “
But even if Bernie Ecclestone has nothing against blacks, he does not appreciate the Black Live Matters movement, which he designates as a group of “Quasi-Marxists. “
“People participate in these marches, organized by quasi-Marxists who want to bring down the police, which would be a disaster for the country. If you asked most of them exactly what they are protesting for, they probably wouldn’t know. “
“It is not my fault if I am white, or if I am a little smaller. At school, they called me Titch [le mioche]. I realized that I had to do something. Black people should take care of themselves. “
“Ron Dennis didn’t get in the way of Lewis when he was little. He was taking care of him. Willy t [Ribbs] was the first black man to drive an F1 car, for me, in the 1970s. “
“When I lost my driver’s license, I had a black driver, not because he was black, but because I didn’t care if he was black or white. Now it’s suddenly fashionable to talk about diversity. “
Deprived of his status as President Emeritus, Bernie Ecclestone could now be threatened with being banned from the paddocks by Liberty Media if he continues with his statements. And the support of Trump and Putin (of whom he is a close friend) challenges F1 to do so!
“Ban me from the races?” I would not advise them to do so. They might want to try it in Russia. I think I could probably find a pass. “
“When Chase [Carey] asked me to retire, he made a big deal of the importance of the title he gave me. People in America would kill for this, he told me. “
“It didn’t matter to me. I’m not looking for honors. I refused something more important in Britain. I was appointed doctor by an English university (Imperial College London) 20 years ago. I don’t call myself Dr Ecclestone. “
“I’m glad he said I have no involvement in Formula 1, so you can’t credit me for all the things they didn’t do. They suddenly started this story of racism because of the events that took place in America. Now Chase has invested a million dollars – enough for a mechanic to go karting. “
“Maybe he should focus on what the shareholders want. The Covid was good for him. He could lay the blame on the Covid to explain everything he couldn’t get. “
–
