“Often people, I think, come out and say things or do things without really thinking too much. I probably did the same, and I can understand people thinking I’m defending what he did in Ukraine, which I’m not. “I grew up during the war, the last war, so I know what it’s like. And I’m sorry that people in Ukraine have to suffer for something they didn’t do. “They have done nothing wrong. They didn’t start anything. They want to get on with their lives. “They want kids to go to school and try to go to work and earn a living to support their family. So they don’t deserve to suffer. It’s not good for anybody. I can’t see anybody suffering anything from this, and I think they should come together and come to an agreement. “I’m sorry if anything I said offended anyone because it certainly wasn’t intended.” Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton strongly criticized Ecclestone’s comments, saying he should not be given a platform to express his views. “We don’t need any more,” Hamilton said ahead of last weekend’s British Grand Prix. “Hearing from someone who believes in war, displacing millions of people and killing thousands of people, and supporting this person (Putin) who is doing this, is beyond me. I can’t believe I heard that today. “It affects all these people out there and people around the world. This will set us back decades and we have yet to see the true weight of the pain. “So why? We don’t need to support it, but look to the future. We need more positivity. If you don’t have something positive to contribute to where we want to go and where we want to be, don’t do it.” don’t give them space.”
