Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone on Friday tried to keep the event out of the controversy related to Ferrari’s decision to carry the flag of the Italian Navy on the cars driven by Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa in the Indian Grand Prix.
During the practice session on Friday, the two Ferrari cars had flown the Navy flag. Mr. Ecclestone hinted that Formula One would stay away from political issues. “What we would do, we would look at the national sporting authority here to have a look at that … We are not political ... We keep out of these things,” he said.
In a press release on Wednesday, Ferrari had already denied that there was any political motive behind its action.
Asked whether his team was not courting political controversy by displaying the Italian Navy flag on the cars, Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said, “If you look at what is written in the press release, it is not really what you are saying … There is no political intention or discussion in that.”
