Ecclestone slams Carey over racism controversy

Ecclestone fires back

(GMM) Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has aimed fire at his successor amid a new movement of racial politics within the sport.

Both Formula 1 and its six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton reacted with astonishment after Ecclestone, 90, said during an interview with CNN that "in many cases black people are more racist than white people".

Hamilton called the comments "ignorant and uneducated".

But Formula 1, now run by Chase Carey and Liberty Media, went even further, saying Ecclestone's view has "no place in Formula 1 or society".

In a statement, Liberty added that Ecclestone "has played no role in Formula 1" since he became chairman emeritus in 2017, adding that the "honorific" role "expired in January 2020" anyway.

It has also been suggested that Ecclestone will now be banned from races.

"I wouldn't advise them to do that," he told the Daily Mail.

"They might want to try it in Russia. I think I could probably find a pass," added Ecclestone, who is often invited to that Sochi race by Vladimir Putin.

As for Chase Carey, whose wife Wendy reportedly deleted her Twitter account after it emerged she supports Donald Trump, Ecclestone slammed his $1 million contribution to a new anti-racism foundation.

"They have jumped on this racism thing suddenly because of events in America," Ecclestone. "Now Chase has put in all of $1 million – enough to get a mechanic into go-karting.

"Maybe he should concentrate on doing what the shareholders want. Covid was good for him. He could blame everything he hasn't achieved on that."