In a bizarre interview with Good Morning Britain, the 91-year-old was asked if he was still standing by Mr Putin’s friend. To which, Mr. Ecclestone replied: “I would take a bullet for him. “I would rather not be in pain, but I would take a bullet.” Vladimir Putin and Bernie Ecclestone during the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Russia in September 2018 (Getty Images) When asked why he would take such drastic action, Mr Ecclestone said: “Because he is a first-class person and what he is doing is something he thought was right.” “Unfortunately they are like many businessmen, certainly like me, we make mistakes from time to time. And when you make a mistake, you have to do the best you can to get out of it. “ Mr Ecclestone also criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for being a former comedian, saying: “It looks like he wants to continue this profession.” An F1 spokesman reacted to the interview, saying: “Bernie Ecclestone’s comments are his personal views and are in stark contrast to the position of the modern values of our sport.” The former Formula One boss has previously defended the Russian president, telling Times Radio last month that he found Mr Putin “very straightforward and remarkable”. Bernie Ecclestone said for the first time that he would get a ball for Putin in 2019 (Getty Images) In 2019, Mr Ecclestone told the Times that he felt Mr Putin needed to “run Europe”. “He’s a good guy,” he said. “She has never done anything wrong to people. I would like him to lead Europe. We have no one, so it could not be worse. “ He added: “I am not a supporter of democracy. You need a dictator. As a dictator, you say, “This is what I will do.” “In a democracy, things are falling apart.”
