Nuerburgring - F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone's praise of Adolf Hitler was wrong and disgusting, BMW-Sauber team boss Mario Theissen said on Thursday.
In the first public condemnation from a senior figure within the paddock, Theissen told reporters that he expected the 78-year-old Briton to make a further apology when he arrived at the German Grand Prix circuit.
Ecclestone caused outrage when, in an interview with Britain's Times newspaper on Saturday, he commented on Hitler's ability to "get things done".
The comments prompted a German Jewish group to call for a boycott of F1 while the premier of the southern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg cancelled a scheduled meeting with Ecclestone at the Nuerburgring.
Ecclestone has since apologised repeatedly and unreservedly, saying he was "extremely distressed and embarrassed" that he might be thought to be supporting such people as the Nazi dictator.
"I would say obviously wrong, disgusting," Theissen, a German, said when asked for his opinion of what Ecclestone had told the newspaper.
"Apparently he was shocked himself when he was confronted with what he has said. He has made some comments meanwhile and as I have heard, he will make some more comments as soon as he is here and I think this is necessary."
The original Nuerburgring circuit, built in the 1920s, hosted 11 Grand Prixs before World War Two with Hitler a spectator on at least one occasion in an era when the state-backed Mercedes and Auto Union cars were dominant.
Mercedes, now partners with McLaren, are this weekend marking the 75th anniversary of Manfred von Brauchitsch's victory in their first 'Silver Arrows' car on the Nordschleife circuit.
In a marked contrast with those days, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton - the sport's first black world champion - drove the original Mercedes W25 car around a section of the old track on Thursday.
In the first public condemnation from a senior figure within the paddock, Theissen told reporters that he expected the 78-year-old Briton to make a further apology when he arrived at the German Grand Prix circuit.
Ecclestone caused outrage when, in an interview with Britain's Times newspaper on Saturday, he commented on Hitler's ability to "get things done".
The comments prompted a German Jewish group to call for a boycott of F1 while the premier of the southern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg cancelled a scheduled meeting with Ecclestone at the Nuerburgring.
Ecclestone has since apologised repeatedly and unreservedly, saying he was "extremely distressed and embarrassed" that he might be thought to be supporting such people as the Nazi dictator.
"I would say obviously wrong, disgusting," Theissen, a German, said when asked for his opinion of what Ecclestone had told the newspaper.
"Apparently he was shocked himself when he was confronted with what he has said. He has made some comments meanwhile and as I have heard, he will make some more comments as soon as he is here and I think this is necessary."
The original Nuerburgring circuit, built in the 1920s, hosted 11 Grand Prixs before World War Two with Hitler a spectator on at least one occasion in an era when the state-backed Mercedes and Auto Union cars were dominant.
Mercedes, now partners with McLaren, are this weekend marking the 75th anniversary of Manfred von Brauchitsch's victory in their first 'Silver Arrows' car on the Nordschleife circuit.
In a marked contrast with those days, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton - the sport's first black world champion - drove the original Mercedes W25 car around a section of the old track on Thursday.
Some very good engineering in there.
