F1 hits back at Ecclestone following his comments on racism and equality

Formula 1 has responded to comments made by former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone this week.

The 89-year-old said in an interview with CNN that he believes “in lots of cases, black people are more racist than what white people are”.

The article states that it pushed Ecclestone to provided an example to back his statement up, to which he said he had “noticed” it over the years.

In the same interview, Ecclestone highlighted that he thinks Lewis Hamilton's latest activism in the Black Lives Matter movement is “wonderful” and that he is doing a “great job”.

MORE: Hamilton joins Black Lives Matter protest in London

On Friday evening, F1 released a statement: “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.”

Ecclestone was ousted at the helm of F1 when Liberty Media became the commercial rights holder of the sport in 2017.

The Briton was given the title of Chairman Emeritus on an honourary basis, having been at the head of the sport for almost 40 years. However, F1 has confirmed that his title expired earlier this year.

“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,” the statement added.

Earlier this week, F1 announced the launch of the #WeRaceAsOne initiative, which will help improve and promote diversity in the sport.

A new Task Force has been set up alongside it to offer more opportunities to under-represented groups, with initial funding $1 million coming straight from current F1 CEO Chase Carey.