Ecclestone praises Hitler

The leaders of the Formula 1 would they have fallen on their heads? We knew the iron fist of Max Mosley, the president of the FIA, who many believe runs the international body like a dictator. We were less aware of the inclinations of Bernie Ecclestone, the big financier of F1, for dictatorial regimes.

In an interview with the Times, the Briton does not hesitate to praise the former Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. “ In a way, it's hard to say I suppose, but apart from the fact that Hitler let himself go and talked himself into doing things that I don't know whether he wanted to do or not, he was in a position where he could command many people, capable of achieving things " said Ecclestone. “ But in the end he got lost, so he was not a good dictator. »

« I prefer strong leaders “, he insisted. " Max [Mosley] would make a great Prime Minister. He is a good leader. I don't think his past is a problem. » This past that “Mister E.” speaks of refers to Mosley’s origins. He is the son of Sir Oswald Mosley, the former leader of the Union of British Fascists. These statements obviously caused a reaction across the Channel. Jewish groups and politicians called the claims “bizarre.”