Billionaire Formula One Car Racing Boss, Bernie Ecclestone has played down on racism in the sport and claimed to be amazing “in many cases black people are more racist than white people”.
Bernie Ecclestone is credited with turning Formula One into a multinational, multi-billion dollar company with races around the globe, but like other companies, the sport he helped create come under criticism after the death of George Floyd.
In an interview with CNN, the 89-year-old voiced his opinion that the battle for equality in F1 has never been taken seriously because there is too much of an emphasis on “winning races and findings sponsors”.
The divisive remarks from Ecclestone come as British champion Lewis Hamilton, who has been outspoken in the Black Lives Matter campaign and is the only black driver in the sport, continues to lead his fight for reform.
Hamilton, who has said he thought before “so much anger, sadness and disbelief” Following George Floyd ‘s death, the Hamilton Commission was set up to increase motorsport diversity, supported anti-racism demonstrations and called on F1’s “biggest stars” to “stay silent in the midst of injustice.”
Hamilton has now been applauded by Ecclestone for his stand, but maintains the sport has no problem with racism.
“Lewis is a little bit special,” Ecclestone, now on an advisory role with F1 as Chairman Emeritus, told CNN Sport’s Amanda Davies.
“First, he’s very, very, very talented as a driver and he seems to be now extremely talented when’s he standing up and can make speeches.
“This last campaign he’s doing for Black people is wonderful. He’s doing a great job and it’s people like that — easily recognisable — that people listen to.”
However, Ecclestone, 89, doesn’t think incentives like The Hamilton Commission will have a tangible impact on the sport.
“I don’t think it’s going to do anything bad or good for Formula One,” he said.
“It’ll just make people think which is more important. I think that’s the same for everybody.
”People ought to think a little bit and think: ‘Well, what the hell. Somebody’s not the same as
White people and Black people should think the same about White people.’
“In lots of cases, Black people are more racist than what White people are.”
He continued by saying that changing attitudes towards race won’t come “easily,” blasting the dismantling of statues of slave trade figures — a move Hamilton backed when the statue of Edward Colston was torn down in Bristol.
“I think they need to start being taught at school,” said Ecclestone.
“So they grow up not having to think about these things. I think it’s completely stupid taking all these statues down. They should’ve left them there. Take the kids from school to look and say why they’re there and what the people did and how wrong it was what they did.”