News : Bernie Ecclestone dreams of a dictator and wants Putin to rule Europe

"If someone had a machine gun and wanted to shoot Putin, I would face him," said Ecclestone, 88, "because he's a good guy, he's never done anything that did not do him any good."

Asked about the Russian annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, Ecclestone declared that Putin wanted to "reunite" Russia. The alleged Kremlin-commissioned assassination of former Russian agent Sergei Skripal in England invented "storyteller", Ecclestone is certain. "He (Putin) did not do that," he said. "He's too busy to worry about such things."

"I would like him to rule Europe"

The ex-Formula 1 boss went even further with his Putin enthusiasm. "I would like him to rule Europe," said Ecclestone. "I'm not an advocate of democracy, you need a dictator, and as a dictator you say, 'That's how I do it.' Everything is watered down in a democracy. "