Formula One has responded to comments made by Bernie Ecclestone on racism, saying it “completely disagrees” with its former CEO and confirming Ecclestone no longer holds any formal position in the sport.
Ecclestone, who has not been involved in the running of F1 since it was purchased by current owners Liberty Media in 2017, made the comments during an interview with CNN earlier the same day.
Speaking about Lewis Hamilton’s decision to set up a commission to push for more diversity in motorsport, Ecclestone said he did not think it would bring about any meaningful change, before adding “in lots of cases, Black people are more racist than what White people are”.
F1’s statement distanced the sport from Ecclestone, adding that the title of chairman emeritus, which he was given to Ecclestone in 2017 when Chase Carey replaced him as CEO, had expired at the start of the year.
“At a time when unity is needed to tackle racism and inequality, we completely disagree with Bernie Ecclestone’s comments that have no place in Formula 1 or society,” the statement said.
“Mr Ecclestone has played no role in Formula 1 since he left our organisation in 2017, his title chairman emeritus, being honorific, expired in January 2020.”
This week, F1 announced the launch of its #WeRaceAsOne campaign, which, among other aims, plans to increase diversity in the sport and make a stand against racism.