Lewis Hamilton calls Bernie Ecclestone ‘ignorant and uneducated’ after comments on black people and racism

The Formula One supremo had claimed “in lots of cases black people are more racist than white people are”

Lewis Hamilton has labelled Bernie Ecclestone as “ignorant and uneducated” after his comments on black people and racism.

The six-time world champion was upset after the Formula One supremo gave an extraordinary interview in which he suggested “in lots of cases black people are more racist than white people are”.

And Hamilton admitted he was both “sad and disappointed” after reading the comments, while also insisting “now the time has come for change”.

Hamilton wrote on social media: “Damn, I just don’t even know where to start with this one. So sad and disappointing to read these comments.

“Bernie is out of the sport and a different generation but this is exactly what is wrong – ignorant and uneducated comments which show us how far we as a society need to go before real equality can happen.

Lewis Hamilton admits he is both sad and disappointed by the comments (PA)

“It makes complete sense to me now that nothing was said or done to make our sport more diverse or to address the racial abuse I received throughout my career.

“If someone who has run the sport for decades has such a lack of understanding of the deep routed issues we as black people deal with every day, how can we expect all the people who work under him to understand. It starts at the top.

“Now the time has come for change. I will not stop pushing to create an inclusive future for our sport with equal opportunity for all.

“To create a world that provides equal opportunity for minorities. I will continue to use my voice to represent those who don’t have one, and to speak for those who are underrepresented to provide an opportunity to have a chance in our sport.”

Ecclestone also insisted F1 had not taken racism seriously because teams are “too busy trying to win races”, while claiming Hamilton leading a commission to help increase diversity in the sport would not be either “bad or good” for the sport.

“I don’t think it’s going to do anything bad or good for Formula One,” Ecclestone told CNN.

“It’ll just make people think which is more important. I think that’s the same for everybody. People ought to think a little bit and think: ‘Well, what the hell. Somebody’s not the same as white people and black people should think the same thing about white people.’

“In lots of cases, black people are more racist than what white people are.”