Bernie Ecclestone Blames Lewis Hamilton For Azerbaijan Incident With Vettel
Bernie just can’t stop poking his nose into Formula One’s business.
After the Hamilton/Vettel incident at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, everyone had something to say. But opinions are like hearts: everyone has one. Except, perhaps, former F1 boss and the living embodiment of Mr. Burns, Bernie Ecclestone—well, he certainly has opinions, in any case. Good ol' Bernie, who can't seem to stay away from Formula One, had to offer up his opinion on the Azerbaijan dust-up.
After the race, Ecclestone spoke to formulapassion.it about the collision. "As far as the Hamilton vs Vettel incident are concerned, these things happen in racing. I think that Hamilton was trying to put Vettel in trouble by breaking and make the accident happen. Vettel's reaction was normal to let Hamilton know that he was aware for this reason" said Ecclestone.
Bernie, really?
We all know Ecclestone is not an idiot. In fact, Ecclestone is a very smart and cunning man, which makes his statement so inflammatory. He had to have known what the FIA said about the incident. Hamilton did not break-check Vettel. It's a fact. The first contact that happened was accidental, a racing incident, albeit an avoidable one.
But for him to go on to say that Vettel's reaction, intentionally running into Hamilton a second time, "was normal" is downright irresponsible. For some reason, some people still think that Ecclestone is an authoritative voice when it comes to Formula One. For him to write off the intentional collision as "normal" sends the wrong message. If it was "normal", it would be happening all the time.
Formula One is not a pay-per-lap kart track. You might be able to crash into someone at your local family fun center, where its all in good fun. But not in "the pinnacle of motorsports" where drivers are setting an example for young up and coming racers.
Ecclestone is entitled to his opinion, even it is misinformed. But since his voice still carries some weight, he needs to choose his words carefully. If Ecclestone would have said "Vettel overreacted but I can't blame him for doing so," we wouldn't be writing about him. So, maybe Bernie did choose his words carefully after all.
