Ecclestone Denies F1 Fans Are Racist

Formula One president Bernie Ecclestone has denied that the sport has a racist problem, claiming that abusive remarks racing champion Lewis Hamilton received in Spain did not have to do with racism, but with rivalry.
 
Ecclestone addressed that the majority of the fans in Spain supported Fernando Alonso and in Brazil they supported Felipe Massa, which would make them hostile to Hamilton, both racers’ main competition.
 
Hamilton became the sport’s youngest world champion when he squeezed by Massa to win the title in Brazil. He has also formed a rivalry with Alonso after the pair’s conflicts as teammates at McLaren. The clash grew into full-on abuse in which Hamilton has been taunted both at the race track and online.
 
But Ecclestone said the situation has been blown out of proportion.

‘There were a few people in Spain…and it was probably meant as a joke more than anything abusive,’ he said. ‘People look and read things into something that is not there. People are entitled to support who they want to support.’