• F1.Official response to Ecclestone's controversial statements on racism
  • Hamilton. Lewis' demands: "This is a white sport"

When Lewis Hamilton landed in Formula 1 13 years ago, Bernie Ecclestone's eyes lit up. His business, after the end of the Schumacher era , seemed safe with the arrival of that swift colored pilot who added a plus to the competition. "I have been in motorsport for many years and I can't remember anyone like him. It is a kind of miracle," admitted the then owner of the 'Great Circus', while his compatriot was fighting for the crown with Fernando Alonso , his teammate from McLaren. "We have lost a great hero in Michael Schumacher, but in Lewis Hamilton we have another", he added in that 2007.

Today, the life of both is very different. Hamilton's World Cups are falling out of his pockets (he already has six) and Ecclestone, who has been retired for six years and will turn 90 in October, looks at Formula 1 out of the corner of his eye, but he does not let his guard down. The British pilot, in addition, continues determined to lead the racial fight in "a sport of targets". And the former F1 boss is not shy when it comes to responding to the icon of his business and disagreeing with the movement that he is trying to lead within motor sport.

"Ron Dennis didn't get in Lewis's way as a kid, he looked after him. Willy T -Ribbs- was the first black man to drive a Formula 1 car for me in the 1970s. When I lost my driver's license , I had a black conductor, not because it was black, but because I didn't care if it was black or white. Now suddenly it is fashionable to talk about diversity, "Ecclestone said in an interview with the Daily Mail. Adding a little more wick to his dispute with Hamilton.

Because a couple of days before, the hexacampeón had used his Instagram account to reply to his former employer, who had assured that "blacks were more racist than whites". "Damn, I just don't know where to start in this case. I'm sad and disappointed to read these comments," his post began. "Bernie is out of sport and represents a different generation, but this is exactly what is wrong: ignorant and uneducated comments that show us how far we must go as a society before real equality can occur," he wrote.

"It now makes perfect sense that nothing was said or done to make our sport more diverse or to address the racial abuse I received throughout my career," Hamilton said. "If someone who has practiced sports for decades does not understand the deep problems that we as black people experience every day, how can we expect all the people who work with him to understand it?" He asked himself.

"Blacks must take care of themselves"

A reflection to which Ecclestone wanted to reply in that interview to the Daily Mail. "It is not my fault that I am white or that I am a little shorter than the average man. They called me 'dwarf' at school, and I realized I had to do something about it. Blacks need to take care of themselves, "he said, before aiming for the protests. "And then there are the people who go to these protests, organized by quasi-Marxists who want to end the police, which would be a disaster for the country. If you asked most of them exactly why they were protesting, they probably wouldn't know." he continued.

In addition, he discussed his experience with people of color during his years of work. "Over the years, I've met a lot of white people that I didn't like, but never a black person that I didn't like. I've been mugged a couple of times, once by three blacks. I ended up in the hospital, but even after that I was never against anyone who was black. I don't think of Lewis as black, it's just Lewis for me, "he said.

"If a black or white person is turned down for a job, they must ask themselves why; was it because of their skin color or because they weren't up to the job? That's what I meant," concluded Bernie, Honorary President. of Formula 1, who trusts that his words do not close the door of the great prizes.

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