Racism row 'nonsense': Ecclestone

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has played down the racism row surrounding Lewis Hamilton, insisting it has been blown out of proportion.

The newly-crowned world champion was abused during pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya, near Barcelona, in February.

Some spectators were pictured mocking Hamilton by wearing wigs, dark make-up and t-shirts with the slogan ’Hamilton’s Family’.

And in the run up to last weekend’s pivotal Brazilian Grand Prix, hundreds of abusive messages were posted on a website in Spain, many of them racist.

However, Ecclestone today moved to defuse the row.

“I think it’s all nonsense,” he told BBC Radio Five Live. “In Spain people were supporting (Fernando) Alonso and in Sao Paolo they were supporting Felipe (Massa). I don’t think it was anything to do with racism.

“There were a few people in Spain and that was probably beginning as a joke rather than anything abusive.

“I think people look and read into things that are not there. All those things are all a bit of a joke and people are entitled to support who they want to support. I don’t see why people should have been (insulted by it). These things are people expressing themselves.”

Ecclestone believes Hamilton will go on to win several world titles after dramatically edging out Felipe Massa by one point on Sunday.

Told Hamilton wants to win at least three titles, Ecclestone added: “I don’t think he’ll have any problem with that.

“He should have won last year but he won it this year. There is no limit. With all these things you’ve got to rely on the car and the team and a little bit of luck.

“He was unlucky last year and I suppose you could he was lucky this year. It made up for last year.”

Hamilton won the title after overtaking Timo Glock in the final mile to move up to the fifth place he required with Massa having won the race.

Glock’s car was clearly slowing having stayed out on dry tyres but Ecclestone described any conspiracy theory as “complete and utter nonsense”.

He added: “I’m quite sure Glock had no idea what the position with everybody was at that time. He had enough problems keeping the car on the road.

“It’s not even worth thinking about.”

Hamilton, 23, had been criticised in the closing stages of the season for being too aggressive, something which Ecclestone refutes.

“He’s a race driver,” the 78-year-old insisted. “He is there to win. I’ve never seen him (drive) what I would say is aggressive any more than a lot of the others. People down the field in sixth place drive aggressively and nobody says anything.”