VW scandal? It’s a lot of fuss over not much, says F1 boss Bernie

Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has described the Volkswagen emissions scandal as “an awful lot of fuss”. Speaking to Sky Sports News, Mr Ecclestone said it was “strange” that the company had been “picked on” for using illegal software to deceive emissions tests. "I think we’re making an awful lot of fuss about this,“ he said. He was speaking after German prosecutors confirmed they had opened an investigation against former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn in the company’s emissions-rigging scandal.

When I think about this, and all the trucks that are charging around America - and buses, and generators all running on diesel - and there doesn’t seem to be any control over that.

F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone

"It’s strange that they’ve sort of picked on somebody that’s using a diesel engine in cars,” said Ecclestone. The German carmaker admitted last week that it used a special device to fool US emissions testing for its diesel vehicles. The device is able to detect when cars are undergoing tests, and can switch the vehicle to a low emission mode in order to achieve more favourable results. Volkswagen AG’s Audi brand says 2.1 million of its vehicles are among those with the engines affected by the emissions-rigging scandal.

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