The comment, made to The Times newspaper in an interview published on Friday, has led to a furore among Jewish groups and politicians.

Ecclestone, 78, praised the virtues of strong leadership and condemned contemporary politicians for their weakness.

The Times quoted Ecclestone as saying that democracy "hasn't done a lot of good for many countries, including this one."

"In a lot of ways, terrible to say this I suppose," Ecclestone said, "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."

Ecclestone told the paper that politicians were too worried about elections and that he would support the concept of a government based on tyranny.

"We did a terrible thing when we supported the idea of getting rid of Saddam Hussein," Ecclestone went on to say, "he was the only one who could control that country."

"It was the same (with the Taliban). We move into countries and we have no idea of the culture."

Max Mosley for Prime Minister?

He went on to include British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and Max Mosley, outgoing head of Formula One's governing body, as leadership examples - even suggesting Max Mosley should be Britain's Prime Minister.

Eccleston went on to say "The Americans probably thought Bosnia was a town in Miami. There are people starving in Africa and we sit back and do nothing but we get involved in things we should leave alone."

Jewish groups have crticized the comments, with a spokesman for the Board of Deputies of British Jews calling them "quite bizarre."

Meanwhile, Stephen Pollard, Editor of the Jewish Chronicle, said Ecclestone was either "an idiot or morally repulsive."

"Either he has no idea how stupid and offensive his views are, or he does - and deserves to be held in contempt by all decent people," he said.

Ecclestone's remarks are certain to revive memories of the controversy around reports of a bizarre sex scandal involving FIA president Max Mosley.

The head of motorsport's ruling body FIA and 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 seemingly concentration camp-themed scene involving five prostitutes.

ch/dpa/APE
Editor: Andreas Illmer