'Would take bullet for Putin': Former F1 boss Ecclestone's shocking claim sparks outrage

In a bizarre claim, former Formula One boss Bernie Eccleston has called Russian President Vladimir Putin a 'first-class person' and claimed he would 'take a bullet for him'. 

In an interview with Good Morning Britain, the 91-year-old was asked whether he still stood by his 'friend' Putin, who has waged war on Ukraine since February. In response, the former F1 executive said, "I would still take a bullet for him. I'd rather it didn't hurt, but I would still take a bullet."

When asked why would he take such a drastic step, Ecclestone added, "Because he's a first-class person, and what he's doing is something that he believed was the right thing."

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"Unfortunately, he's like a lot of business people, certainly like me. We make mistakes from time to time. And when you've made a mistake, you have to do your best to get out of it," the former F1 boss remarked.

Ecclestone also commented about the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky being a former comedian, saying, "It looks as though he wants to continue that profession."

A spokesperson for F1 reacted to the interview, saying, "The comments made by Bernie Ecclestone are his personal views and are in very stark contrast to the position of the modern values of our sport."

Also read: If Putin was a woman, there would be no Ukraine war: UK PM Boris Johnson

The former head of Formula 1 spoke up for Putin, telling Times Radio last month that he thought the Russian President was "quite direct and honourable." Ecclestone previously stated to The Times that he believed Putin ought to be "ruling Europe."

"He's a good guy. He's never done anything that isn't doing good things for people. I would like him running Europe. We haven't got anybody, so it couldn't be any worse. I am not a supporter of democracy. You need a dictator. As a dictator, you say, 'This is what I'm going to do'. In a democracy, it gets watered down," Ecclestone concluded.

Also read: F1 fans mock Bernie Ecclestone after former boss arrested for illegally carrying a gun

The former F1 boss' shocking claim has sparked a massive social media outrage, with several people trolling Ecclestone for his statement. Here's a look at some of the reactions on Twitter: