Bernie Eccleston
He would take a bullet for Vladimir Putin
Bernie Ecclestone (left) with Vladimir Putin in 2014.
© imago images/ITAR-TASS
Formula 1 distances itself from ex-boss Bernie Ecclestone. He had stated that he would apparently protect Putin with his life.
Bernie Ecclestone (91) raves about Vladimir Putin (69) in a twisted TV interview. The former head of Formula 1 explained on “Good Morning Britain”.that he would apparently even die for the Russian president.
Ecclestone has been a friend of Putin for several years. Apparently, his attitude towards him hasn’t changed even after Russia’s attack on Ukraine. When asked about the 69-year-old, Ecclestone replied: “I would still take a bullet for him. I would prefer it if it didn’t hurt, but if it did I would still take a bullet for him because he is a first class person.” According to Ecclestone, what Putin does is because he thinks it’s the right thing for Russia.
Ecclestone sees Selenskyj as a comedian
At the same time, the former motorsport official Volodymyr Zelenskyy (44), who gained popularity as an actor and comedian before becoming President of Ukraine, attacked. In Ecclestone’s opinion, Selenskyj should rather concentrate on comedy again. According to the 91-year-old, if he had thought about it, he would have tried to “speak to Mr. Putin, who is a reasonable person”.
The journalist Kate Garraway (55) seems just as puzzled by Ecclestone’s statements as certainly some viewers: “So to understand you correctly: you think that President Zelenskyj should have done more to prevent this war and that [der Krieg] could have been prevented by Selenskyj’s actions, not by changing Putin’s actions?” Ecclestone’s clear answer: “Absolutely”.
Formula 1 distances itself
A spokesman for Formula 1 commented shortly after the interview on Ecclestone’s statements, as reported by the British “Guardian”, among others. The 91-year-old’s comments are his “personal views and are in very stark contrast to the modern values of our sport”.
In the past, Ecclestone had repeatedly thrown around questionable statements. In an interview with the “Daily Mail” he confirmed, for example already in February 2016 that he admires Putin: “He’s the guy who should rule Europe.”