Oh Bernie, Come to the 21st Century, Will You?

As if Formula 1 didn't have a bad enough weekend. Bernie Ecclestone, technically the "commercial rights holder" for F1 (but the real power in the sport), made a really boneheaded statement this weekend about America's favorite motorsports curiosity, Danica Patrick. Asked what he thought of her performance at Indy only a few weeks before the USGP, Bernie opined:

Asked about Patrick's success, Ecclestone acknowledged her strong finish, but then made an assessment about women racing with men that caused a stir, saying, '[y]ou know I've got one of those wonderful ideas ... women should be dressed in white like all the other domestic appliances.'

Huh? Is Bernie a deacon in the First Church of Appliantology? To confuse matters even further, Bernie then talked directly to Danica, presumably to apologize, and repeated his statement! Danica was, as you might expect, confused:

'I can't believe that he would say it to me over the phone, not to my face, but directly to me,' she said. 'I was a bit confused. ... So I don't really know what to think about it.'

'I don't know if he was talking about someone else or the majority or what, I'm not really sure. Or, maybe that's his real feeling.'

Maybe Bernie should have the Michelin folks buy him a round of sensitivity training?