Bernie Ecclestone's Hitler outrage

In a bizarre interview with The Times newspaper in London on Friday, the Formula One chief also seemed to suggest the worst crimes of the Nazi regime might have been carried out without the Fuhrer's knowledge.

"In a lot of ways, terrible to say this I suppose, but apart from the fact that Hitler got taken away and persuaded to do things that I have no idea whether he wanted to do or not, he was in the way that he could command a lot of people, able to get things done," Mr Ecclestone said.

"In the end he got lost, so he wasn't a very good dictator because either he had all these things and knew what was going on and insisted, or he just went along with it . . . so either way he wasn't a dictator."

Mr Ecclestone also attacked democracy, claiming "it hasn't done a lot of good for many countries including this one (the United Kingdom)."

Mr Ecclestone's remarks are certain to embarrass F1 motor racing and revive memories of the alleged Nazi-themed S&M orgy involving the former motorsport supremo, Max Mosley.

Mr Mosley - son of the British fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley - last year sued the News of the World for breach of privacy after the newspaper alleged he had taken part in a concentration camp-themed orgy involving six prostitutes.

Local Jewish leaders condemned Mr Ecclestone's remarks.

Tony Levy, chairman of the B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation Commission, said his words were "horrifying".

"To praise the worst of dictators and the author of the Holocaust is appalling," Mr Levy said.