Bernie Ecclestone: I’d still take a bullet for ‘first-class’ Putin

The former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has said that he would “take a bullet” for President Putin and described him as a “first-class person”.

The British businessman, who was the chief executive of Formula One for more than 40 years, defended the Russian leader’s actions in Ukraine, saying that everyone made “mistakes from time to time” and that Putin was doing something he believed was right for the Russian people.

Speaking to Good Morning Britain on ITV, Ecclestone, 91, was asked if he still considered Putin a friend: “I’d still take a bullet for him. I’d rather it didn’t hurt, but if it does I’d still take a bullet, because he’s a first-class person.

Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine Ecclestone said that he found Putin to be “straightforward and honourable” in his dealings with him

SERGEI KARPUKHIN/REUTERS

“What he’s doing is something that he believed was the