Bernie Ecclestone was at the centre of yet another Formula One controversy last night as a German politician cancelled a meeting scheduled this weekend to discuss the future of the country’s round of the world championship after his recent observations about Adolf Hitler.
Günther Oettinger, the prime minister of Baden-Württemberg where the Hockenheim circuit is situated, was due to meet Formula One’s commercial rights holder at this weekend’s German grand prix at the Nürburgring, to discuss whether to continue alternating the race between the two circuits.
Yesterday, however, Oettinger made it clear that he would not be meeting Ecclestone after his comments about Hitler, which were published over the weekend, saying that at least dictators like him got things done. His comments attracted widespread condemnation from politicians and Jewish groups across Europe. Guardian.co.uk
“No team should work with him any more - a boycott would be more than appropriate,” said the Council’s vice president, Dieter Graumann.
Graumann said Ecclestone was “either empty headed or unbelievably malicious - probably both” and said he risked driving the whole of Formula One into a wall.
“Just one week before the start of the Nuerburgring, the teams should make very clear that whoever praises Hitler, shows he is not serious,” Graumann said. The Council confirmed the quotes.
Ecclestone was quoted saying: “In a lot of ways, terrible to say this I suppose, but apart from the fact that Hitler got taken away and persuaded to do things that I have no idea whether he wanted to do or not, he was in the way that he could command a lot of people, able to get things done.” Yahoo! Eurosport
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