Lewis Hamilton put out an Instagram post calling out Bernie Ecclestone’s inherent racism; the former F1 boss has now responded to it.
Bernie Ecclestone is in the midst of controversy, yet again. The former CEO of Formula One has been called out by Lewis Hamilton for his recent comments on racism. He claimed black people are often more racist than others.
His comments were condemned by F1, and Hamilton called him out as being “ignorant and uneducated”.
Lewis Hamilton’s Instagram post for Bernie Ecclestone
Lewis Hamilton had put out a long Instagram post, highlighting how if the men at the top do not really consider racism an issue, it would affect the sport as a whole.
F1 for long has had no black drivers, team owners etc and Hamilton felt that Bernie had something to do with it, while he was in charge.
Ecclestone’s statements hurt him and he called him out, as Lewis felt it was necessary.
Bernie Ecclestone’s response to Lewis Hamilton
Ecclestone, not to be left behind in a verbal duel, had a thing or two to say in his defence.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Ecclestone insisted that racism isn’t an issue in society. He also claimed that Hamilton is not the only black driver in F1 history. He argues referencing Willy T. Ribbs’ test for the Brabham team in 1986.
Ecclestone said: “I am not anti black people. Quite the opposite. I have always been very much in favour.
“In fact, Lewis’s dad wanted to go into business with me. He made some nice rowing machines.
“I would never even have considered it if I had been anti-black. If the project had been right, I would have done it.
“Over the years, I have met a lot of white people I didn’t like, but never a black person I didn’t like.
“I’ve been mugged a couple of times, once by three black guys. I ended up in hospital, but even after that I was never against anyone who was black. I don’t think of Lewis as black or anything else. He’s just Lewis to me.
“If a black person or a white person gets turned down for a job you have to ask why. Was it because of their skin colour, or was it because they weren’t up to the job? That is what I was saying.
“And then people go on these marches, organised by quasi-Marxists who want to bring down the police, which would be a disaster for the country.
“If you asked most of them what exactly they were protesting about they probably wouldn’t know.”
Also read: Lewis Hamilton wants Formula One to host a race in Africa
Calls have intensified for Formula 1 to ban Ecclestone, but the 89-year-old was having none of it, in trademark style. He instead joked that his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin would help F1 to get a there there.
“Ban me from races? I wouldn’t advise them to do that,” he added.
“They might want to try it in Russia. I think I could probably find a pass.”
What lies ahead in F1’s battle against racism
Lewis Hamilton has been very active in trying to curb racism in the world and in the sport that he loves. His journey as a black F1 driver has been full of challenges, wherein he initially dealt with a lot of casual and hard-hitting racism.
In a ‘white dominated sport’, there were always going to be hindrances for him, but having made such a massive name for himself, he hopefully has inspired the ‘next generation of want to be black F1 drivers’ that anything is possible, if you nurture your talent in the right way.
