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Lewis Hamilton says Ecclestone’s comments on Putin will ‘put us back decades’

  • Former F1 boss said he would ‘take a bullet’ for Russian president Vladimir Putin and described him as a ‘first-class person’
  • Hamilton, a seven-time Formula 1 world champion, argued Ecclestone was an ‘older voice’ who no longer represented the sport

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Lewis Hamilton says Bernie Ecclestone’s comments were dangerous for the sport. Photo: AFP

Lewis Hamilton has hit out at former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, warning that his praise for Vladimir Putin will “put us back decades.”

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The racing driver urged broadcasters to shun the 91-year-old and said that someone who supported “killing” people should not be given a platform.

Interviewed on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Thursday, Ecclestone described the Russian president as a “first-class person” and appeared to downplay his invasion of Ukraine.

“What he’s doing is something that he believed was the right thing he was doing for Russia,” he said.

“Unfortunately, he’s like a lot of businesspeople, certainly like me, we make mistakes from time to time.

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“I’d still take a bullet for him. I’d rather it didn’t hurt, but if it does I’d still take a bullet, because he’s a first-class person.”

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