Ecclestone Stands With Lewis Hamilton as He Slams Current F1 CEO for Belgian GP ‘Farce’

The race at the Belgian Grand Prix was in shambles, to say the least. There was a lot of confusion regarding the duration of the race, the start of the race, and ultimately, the classification of the race. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton called the race a ‘farce’ and former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone agreed with him.

Bernie believes F1 boss Stefano Domenicali continued with the race because of commercial purposes. He also stated that he should have allowed the entire race to complete rather than do just two laps behind the safety car.

WATCH STORY: From Jimmy Kimmel to Ellen: Lewis Hamilton on Talk Shows

You could tell that nobody wanted to take responsibility: Bernie Ecclestone

As reported by F1-insider, the Brit stated he didn’t know whether to laugh it cry during the five hours of the race. He called the race a disaster and mentioned that the current owners and FIA are to be blamed for the handling of the weekend.

“It was a disaster. You have no influence on the weather, how you deal with it, but you do. You could tell that nobody wanted to take responsibility and make decisions. So they flew like in weightless space. And in the end, they did everything wrong together,” said Bernie.

“It is wrong to assume that there is any commercial connection.

“How can you just drive the two laps behind the safety car, then finish the race and then act like Stefano and say: ‘We had no commercial reasons for this!”

Read More: Why did F1 Ban Refueling?

Former F1 boss reveals how he would have handled the situation

Ecclestone mentioned that he would have handled the situation differently and let the teams race. He gave the example of Fuji in 1976 when Niki Lauda pitted in the title-decider as he found the conditions too dangerous.

“In 1976, in Fuji, we had the first global television broadcast ever. It was pouring down, it was really uncomfortable. Still, I wanted to start. I said to everyone: ‘I’m not forcing you to drive! If you don’t want to, let it stay. But I’ll let the race start.’

“Niki Lauda pitted after the first lap and gave up. I found that consistent. The others drove on,” said the Former F1 boss.

The handling of the race has sparked a huge debate in the motorsport world. FIA decided to give half points to the teams and drivers after the completion of two laps behind the safety car.

Are you happy with the handling of the race? Let us know.