Champion driver Lewis Hamilton warned that he would “go back decades” by attacking former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and praising Vladimirputin.
Amilton urged broadcasters to avoid 91-year-olds and said they should not give platforms to those who supported “killing” people.
In an interview at ITV yesterday, Ecclestone appeared to describe the Russian president as a “first-class person” and downplay the invasion of Ukraine.
“What he is doing is what he believed was right what he was doing for Russia,” he said.
“Unfortunately, he seems to be a lot of businessmen. Certainly, like me, we sometimes make mistakes.
“I still take bullets for him. I would rather hope it doesn’t hurt, but if that’s the case, I’m still taking bullets because he’s a top-notch person.”
Ecclestone added that the war could have been averted if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had made “enough efforts” to speak to Putin.
Seven-time F1 World Champion Hamilton claimed that Ecclestone was an “old voice” that no longer represented sports.
“I don’t need any more to hear from those who believe in war. It’s beyond me to expel a person, kill a person, and help him (Putin),” he said.
“I can’t believe I heard it. This will bring us back decades ago, and we haven’t seen the real brunt of pain yet.
“Why? We don’t need to support it, but we are looking to the future.
“If you don’t have a positive thing to contribute, don’t give space.”
UK Foreign Minister Liz Truss said: This is a man (Putin) who wages a horrific war involving organized rape of women targeting civilians in shopping centers. “
She added: “I think these comments by Bernie Ecclestone are absolutely extraordinary. Obviously Vladimirputin is toxic.”
F1 has also distanced itself from the remarks of a former boss who had dominated the sport for 40 years until his departure in 2017.
A spokeswoman said: “Bernie Ecclestone’s comments are his personal view and are in stark contrast to the position of modern values in our sport.”