REPORT: F1's Ecclestone ripped for Hitler comments
For such a distinguished and high profile institution, Formula One looks more and more like some sort of pro wrestling outfit by the day – and much of that circus-like atmosphere can be traced to the sport's leadership. The latest development in the series is Bernie Ecclestone's Marge Schott-esque interview with London's The Times newspaper.
Over the weekend, an interview ran in which Ecclestone talked about his preference for "strong leaders," including people like former UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher and Max Mosely. No problem there, but bringing up talk of Adolf Hitler in such contexts is generally frowned upon, particularly when saying things like "he got things done," but "In the end he got lost, so he wasn't a very good dictator."
Like Mosely, Ecclestone has never been a shrinking violet, and he's rarely been one to shy away from controversy. He famously once noted that women should wear white "like all other domestic appliances," a comment he revisited in The Times interview, suggesting that the utterance was a joke, only to follow it up with: "I would love to have a good lady race driver and preferably black and Jewish, too, but they might take maternity leave."
Ecclestone's comments have raised the hackles of a number of Jewish groups and politicians, who have called him "either an idiot or morally repulsive," chiding him for "a complete lack of judgment.
In a subsequent interview with Germany's Bild, the 78-year-old reportedly maintained that the furor his comments inspired were predicated on "a big misunderstanding," saying that: "It was never my intention to hurt the feelings of any community... many people in my closest circle of friends are Jewish." Thanks to everyone for the tips!
[Sources: The Associated Press via ESPN; Motorsport.com | Image: AFP/Getty]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
KC 9:37AM (7/06/2009)
What's wrong with F1? One falls in love with leathers and can't say "yes" or "no"; the other one falls in love with Hitler and can't say "I am sorry.".
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Affalterbach 9:45AM (7/06/2009)
Everything's wrong, isn't it. Its 2009, not 1909 and this guy publicly degrades women, Jews and black people.
He goes on to say that he likes Hitler, Saddam Hussein and Thatcher, because of their strong leadership skills. He's clearly suffering from some kind of a mental degenerative disease.
Political correctness is one thing but this guy is just absurd mentioning those people as examples of leaders who got 'things done'. No, they got nothing done. They brought destruction and misery to their followers, much like what this guy is doing.
Affalterbach 9:45AM (7/06/2009)
@KC, I knew you were being sarcastic....
erik1080 11:56AM (7/06/2009)
I'm surprised Ecclestone still has his job. There is no telling as to how fast he would be forced out of his position if this happened in the US. It's seriously time for him and Mosely to go.
Quantumphysics 12:34PM (7/06/2009)
Despite the fact Hitler was a madman, it doesn't change the fact that he was ambitious, intelligent and shrewd.
No historian - or true scholar - immediately uses words like "evil", "insane",etc.
That language is best left in Hollywood inventions for the big screen.
jgp 1:23PM (7/06/2009)
Hitler was a horrible strategist.
He lost WW2 because he had no clue how to wage a war. In particular, his ego made him choose a highly-inefficient command structure, which is why the allies kicked his arse; nobody in the German military aside from Hitler cound actually make a decision.
HotRodzNKustoms 9:41AM (7/06/2009)
Sometimes I question if that man still has all his marbles...
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Fernando 9:45AM (7/06/2009)
He hasn't had all of them for quite a while now.
John Johnson 9:51AM (7/06/2009)
If you don't think Hitler was a strong leader, you need to re-visit your history books.
That is simply a fact. Would I publicly state it, especially after all he's been in? Lol no, that's retarded. If he *likes* Hitler for that, it's a whole different story. But to say he was a strong leader isn't a lie. I just wouldn't want to try and follow in his footsteps.
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Paxx 10:28AM (7/06/2009)
Leadership strength is not only measured in if the actions are completed. It should also be measured in the acts chosen to be done on the merrits of the good it brings to the people that the leader is servicing. In this case I do believe getting the living tar bombed out of for a few years does not qualify.
Might I add Ecclestone has done very little to help F1 and has been nothing but a detriment and dead weight. In the corporate world major gaffes like this is grounds for termination so why is he still around? Oh right he reports to an even bigger goon.
John Johnson 10:31AM (7/06/2009)
A strong leader and a good leader can be two different things. He got many, many, many people to support his cause. Whether or not his cause was good or not is irrelevant. Actually, the fact that it was so horrific may have, in fact, made him an even stronger leader to convince people to follow along.
I've taken courses and advanced studies on the Holocaust and surrounding events. It's quite an interesting topic. After a while, you kind of become numb to it all - you begin to get an objective view on things.
dwaltr 10:52AM (7/06/2009)
John J. Whatever education you think you have has obviously been a complete waste of time and money. Hitler didn't get many, many, many people to support his cause, he murdered the many, many, many people who didn't. Getting people to follow you out of fear/hatred is NOT leadership.
I swear, just when you think people couldn't be any more stupid someone like John Johnson shows up and proves they can.
John Johnson 10:54AM (7/06/2009)
You're right, it was just Hitler and his three buddies going along and organizing all of this. Good job.
facepalm.jpg
why not the LS2LS7? 11:24AM (7/06/2009)
John Johnson, you're way off point here.
The question isn't whether what he said was accurate, it's whether what he said was wise. It is completely possible to think Hitler was a strong leader without volunteering the information in an interview. If you have a public persona, you have to be more careful about what you say. Especially if your partner's family is connected to fascists and was recently caught acting out concentration camp sex games.
John Johnson 11:31AM (7/06/2009)
Oh, I agree with you fully. I said it in my first post, it was retarded of him to say it. A public figure should never offer any positive endorsement of such a mass murderer, regardless of anything. Especially with the ties he has. What he did was stupid, and should be looked down upon.
The thing about it is that he didn't even mean it like "Oh, Hitler was a strong leader but did some bad things." That's why it's so bad. He's a very misguided man.
“If you have a look at a democracy it hasn’t done a lot of good for many countries — including this one," Ecclestone told the British Times newspaper. “I like people who make up their minds. If you have to keep referring to your grandmother before you do anything I think that’s dumb. I make decisions, sometimes wrong, sometimes right — so long as you get more things right than wrong then that’s okay.” - I think this quote really demonstrates his mentality.
He needs someone to follow him around and tell him when to shut it. I'd sign up for that job - plenty of work to be had.
the4thheat 1:01PM (7/06/2009)
The problem is that he seems to suggest that Hitler was a great leader and all the horrible things and downfall of Germany were somehow the fault of all the other people. I think most historians would agree that this is not at all the case and that a lot of the bonehead stuff and plain amphetamine fueled insanity was all stuff that Hitler insisted upon even though other people disagreed.
And anyways a leader is only strong if he doesn't kill all his people then blame them for being weak.
Vizel 2:41PM (7/06/2009)
Guys, I know I might take some heat for this. But yes, Hitler was a strong leader. He wasn't a good leader, or a wise leader, but he was a strong leader. Like uh... for example Kim Jung Il right now, he is obviously got some SERIOUS mental issues, but nonetheless he commands 30 million North Korean Citizens and 4th largest army in the world. Is Kim Jung Il a strong leader? I think so. IS he a good or wise leader, Not by far. Same with Hitler. If you think he wasn't one, you try destroying German democracy, the government, and brainwash and manipulate the public in to committing massacres and taking over the European continent all for yourself (at least briefly) It is a fact guys. Just saying.
junkforthweb 9:53AM (7/06/2009)
If you study leadership, you almost have to talk about Hilter, Genghis Khan, Alexander III of Macedon, etc.
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skylin3gtr013 8:04PM (7/06/2009)
But of all the leaders to pick, he just has to pick Hitler as the example. He must've known better than that...
Throwback 9:59AM (7/06/2009)
Can this guy do any more to damage F1? I agree with the posters who say he has lost his mind. He is 78 and I think he has dementia.
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