Bernie Ecclestone led F1 for 40 years, before leaving office when the discipline was acquired by Liberty Media in January 2017.
F1 recently launched a new campaign to become more inclusive, while the six-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton has created its own commission to improve diversity in motorsport.
In an interview with CNN, Ecclestone said he did not think the Hamilton program would do “anything bad or good for Formula 1” and felt that “in many cases black people are more racist than white people”.
F1 condemned Ecclestone’s remarks and revealed that his honorary title of president emeritus ended in January 2020.
Through Instagram, Hamilton responded to Ecclestone’s statements and said he now understands the lack of measures to improve diversity or fight racism during his F1 career, which began in 2007.
“Bernie is no longer in F1 and he is from a different generation, but that is exactly what is wrong: these are ignorant and uneducated comments that show us how far our society must go in order for a true equality can exist “, he wrote. “The fact that nothing has been said or done to further diversify our sport or to combat racial insults that I have suffered throughout my career makes sense today.”
“If someone who has led the sport for decades has such a lack of understanding of the deep-rooted problems that we, as blacks, face every day, how can you expect from all those working under him “they understand? It starts at the top.”
Hamilton was the victim of racist insults at the start of his F1 career, notably at the 2008 Spanish Grand Prix where fans dressed in black laughed at him after his rivalry with Fernando Alonso in McLaren.
Hamilton referred to this incident when he announced the creation of his commission, saying that he had “fought against the stigma of racism throughout [sa] pilot career “. Ecclestone said in his interview with CNN that he was “surprised” that this incident was of concern to the British pilot and that he “didn’t think it had affected him”.
Hamilton concluded his message on social networks by recalling his intention to initiate lasting change in motorsport.
“The time has come to change”, he insisted. “I will not stop pushing to create an inclusive future for our sport, with equal opportunities for all, to create a world that offers equal opportunities to minorities. I will continue to make my voice heard to represent those who do not have not, and to speak for those who are under-represented in order to give them a chance in our sport. “
Related video
–
