Bernie Ecclestone on the future of F1, dictators and Elon Musk – Autocar

BE: Me? No. Theres no reason to. I was sacked, which was all right, and theres no reason to go back.

Bernard Charles Ecclestone. Slippery as hell. But as good an interviewee as Ive ever encountered.

Bernie on...

F1 dropping grid girls: Grid girls were colourful. Thats what F1 is supposed to be: colourful. The sponsors were happy. The teams were happy. The girls had good careers that have been taken away.

Describing women as domestic appliances: I did, yes. I didnt regret it when I said it and I dont regret it now. It was said as a big joke. Nothing I can do about it now, just because people didnt take it as one.

Admiring Hitler: Correct. Actually, I didnt say I admired him. But from when he took over in the 1930s, its clear he got things done, which was impressive. Hospitals, trains and so on. What he went on to do was obviously mad and wrong.

Donald Trump: I think what hes doing is a great job a super job. Hes got ideas and he gets on with them.

Vladimir Putin: Yeah [I know him]. Absolutely. Hes got a reputation he doesnt deserve as being difficult. Hes an easy, straightforward person.

Boris Johnson: Straightforward too. Like all the people in that position, he makes mistakes, but you only remember them if theyre written down.

Brexit: The EU will have to clean up its whole act if it wants to survive. The original idea was fantastic, but it got too democratic. I dont think Britain needs to be in Europe. I think we need to do business with Europe and vice versa, but Im quite sure that will continue.

His rumoured role in The Great Train Robbery: Didnt have one. Wasnt enough money in it for me.

His car collection: I dont drive them. I dont sit in them. I trade them. I dont see the point of supercars, either. People buy them as investments. Why bother?

What he drives: Car dealers hate me, as I dont buy new ones very often. Im in an old [Mercedes] S-Class at the moment while my Range Rover is being repaired. They tried to sell me a new one, but I dont see the point.

Paying a $100m fine to void bribery charges: I hadnt bribed him, but I couldnt prove it, as he was in jail. Sending the money over wasnt that bad. Its like going into a casino and playing with chips: you never think youve lost the money. The prosecutor was a nice guy, actually. I could have been locked up for 10 years. It seemed a reasonable price.

Lawyers: Theyre expensive. Id rather have a mistress and spend it on her. But anyway, sometimes you need them.

Frank Williams: I supported Frank for years. He used to come and borrow money when times were hard. Hed turn up and ask for 500, and Id give it to him on the condition that he paid it back on Tuesday. Hed turn up on the Tuesday, give me my 500, have a cup of tea, chat a bit and then ask if he could borrow 700

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Bernie Ecclestone on the future of F1, dictators and Elon Musk - Autocar

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