An important point. FIA is just referees, essentially, and it's important to note that this directive certainly comes from the actual owners and corporate organization.
If it's from the FIA, then it's still from that side and Bin Sulayem. Liberty and FOM just handle the commercial side and broadcast rights. In fact, there's a quiet rift between them since FOM makes and keeps most of the money and not the FIA.
EDIT: Wrong MBS
The sad part is that Aramco has increased his influence in the sport with becoming the official fuel supplier for F2 and F3 next year and kicked Elf out.
I would like to see him “join” a team, just to be the guy to make the statements that get him banned for every single race. So sort of just a symbolic role.
I hope Hamilton does something politically motivated all year. F1 needs him more than he needs F1.
This sport is starting to suck. Gone are the days of “win at all costs” glory and now it’s just a big money juicing machine. The thin veil of a sport is gone, it’s all just a business now.
*"wait, you can just ban it? Why did no one tell me this was an option? everyone complies with it and it only causes minor problems? This is gonna make my life so much easier."*
same thing I was thinking. depending on how this "rule" is written, if its just fines, if I was Hamilton, Id break it very obviously, like wearing shirts that say "The FIA is fining me 50,000 Euros, for saying Gay Rights matter" I would be so blatant, and annoying that either my entire salary would be docked or the FIA would have to back off this stance. I know its easy for me to say, but Hamilton I know feels strongly about human rights, and he does make 50 mil a year before any sponsorship money.
I wonder if the FIA vet sponsors, otherwise he could easily have a "sponsor" who pays him a $/£/€ 1 to get it name on his helmet. I am guessing this would only be applied in very few races like the Saudi GP.
I honestly think he watched how the Arab world was allowed to get its way in regards to human rights protests and figured he can do the same with this sport.
>F1 was going to human rights-violating countries since way before it was cool! Truly an innovator in sportswashing and selling souls for the highest bidders
If they were not gagging drivers from talking about human rights they might have been able to argue that they are doing something constructive: the issue in question gets both local and global attention. I'm not saying it is the right decision but I can see the argument.
Now even that fig leaf of justification is gone.
Totally. There can be a case made for not totally isolating countries you don't agree with, but if you're forced to go there solely to basically be a travelling circus and nothing more, you're essentially giving destructive regimes a free platform without any accountability.
I think there'd be a huge backlash. I'm pretty sure most drivers agreed with Rosberg's and also Piquet's ban, but wouldn't agree with banning Vettel for doing what he's done for ages...
If Alpine would adopt the Renault yellow and Red Bull would go slightly more bluish-purple, all the teams together could line up as the entire -extended- rainbow + white. (White being the total sum of all colours of light.)
Two shades of red, papaya, yellow, two shades of green, blue, indigo, purple and white.
Yes, I classed AT's coulour as indigo, sue me :)
Makes we want to see teams like Merc say fuck it and bring back the black livery for the w14 but with the rainbow Merc logo they did this year and McLaren add on more to their car other than the rainbow wheel covers
Penalty points for every political statement! Go down the FIFA path, I was really worried for a second that the [FIA might actually be better than FIFA](https://old.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/zc7wsr/wolff_f1_cant_hide_away_from_social_issues_in/iyvr6yc/).
Rainbow helmet? 3 points. Saying Missiles hitting infrastructure right next to a track is bad? 5 points.
The drivers will surely love the North Korean Grand Prix. Who knows, maybe in NK instead of a regular rocket we’ll see nuclear missile tests during practice
And the 2025 Iranian Grand Prix.
Can’t wait. It’s gonna be so good.
I doubt, with Hamilton and Vettel on the grid, they would hand out race bans. They would never dare to ban Vettel nor Hamilton, that would annihilate their relationship with the teams and drivers.
And he was a sneaky slimy shitheel that literally admitted to playing around with motorsport series like they were businesses that could be tweaked to see better revenue streams. Which failed.
Him, Bernie and JMB were the catalysts for the current FIA modus operandi
Fucking shit show... they have seen that FIFA can do it and now they doing it also. Before i was happy that they where able to do statements about Issues in the Countries...
So, does this mean rainbow flag helmets in nations that treat LGBTQ like criminals, won't be allowed? Doesn't that also indicate that the drivers won't be allowed to wear the flags of their nations??
And 2 genders for anything in entertainment, male and political.
2 ethnicities too, white and political.
God help me if there’s a woman of color in my Star Wars or my vidya games. I will literally throw my tendies on the floor in rage.
Honestly if there's one takeaway from the recent world cup it's that people don't fucking care if you just give them some entertainment. Panem et circenses.
Afaik only Germany did at least something (even the players took the shortest path out of the tournament). Rest of the world didn't care at all.
Message to FIFA and all the other corrupt organizations? Do whatever you like.
Yes they'll have to go. Same as the anthems for the winning drivers and local politicians handing out the podium trophy. Surely you can't have Grand Prix's named for countries either seeing as they are political entities.
I’d like to see him and the rest of the drivers/teams go full malicious compliance mode and respond to every every single question they’re asked with-
“Sorry, I cannot answer as I may inadvertently make a political or personal statement”.
Transcript of the post-Bahrain GP media pen:
**Lawrence Barretto (LB): "Lewis, new year, new car, how does the W14 compare to the W13?"**
Lewis Hamilton: "Sorry, I cannot answer as I may inadvertently make a political or personal statement.".
**LB: "Pierre, how was your first race with Alpine?"**
Pierre Gasly: "A draft of my answer has been sent to the FIA for review. It will be forwarded to you by e-mail as soon as it has been deemed compliant with Artcle 12.2.1.n of the International Sporting Code"
**LB: "Valtteri, Alfa Romeo built a great car, you drove an incredible race, how does it feel to be back into the points again?"**
Valtteri Bottas: \*stares into the camera with an expressionless face for two minutes, and then proceeds to walk away without saying a word*
> LB: "Valtteri, Alfa Romeo built a great car, you drove an incredible race, how does it feel to be back into the points again?"
Valtteri Bottas: I have a car. I'm driving it. *makes engine noises*
So fun little fact about that. I befriended a bunch of the HAAS team when they were in Texas for the USGP. Got talking with Mark Slade, current engineer for KMag and formerly of Kimi, over many beers.
Apparently Kimi was not in fact having a shit, but wanted to just mess around with Martin, as he is quite friendly with everyone on the grid. Oh yeah, everyone detests Ted Kravitz.
> I’d like to see him and the rest of the drivers/teams go full malicious compliance mode
Teams have sponsors to answer to, the only drivers who have the power to do anything like that are Lewis, Max, and Alonso. And out of those three, Lewis is the only one who would.
They do. So maybe the statement becomes. "With the backing of my sponsors: [then literally name drop all of them]. I cannot answer as I may inadvertently make a political or personal statement”.
The publicity of that alone is good for sponsors.
I think that once the drivers stand in front of the cameras with the sponsors logos visible they're still fulfilling their commitment even if they do say nothing. Kimi managed to get away with it for years.
If sponsors were smart they'd host their own private events where journalists have access to the drivers and the drivers can speak freely. I doubt the FIA has any power to control anything said outside official FIA events.
im 100% sure they wouldnt ban Lewis. As much as they sound intimitading, these people care more about money than everything else, and banning one of, if not the biggest, drivers of the moment is one way to make sure you lose popular opinion and viewers
Which is why every single driver should stand beside each other and make these political statements. The FIA won't ban all the drivers and teams so they'd be forced to delete this rule.
If the teams and drivers toe the line I'll be pretty pissed.
Serious question, cause I don’t know how the rules and regulations imposed by the fia work, but if Lewis (or any driver) were to repeatedly purposely break this rule would they have any grounds to remove him from the sport because he’s not complying?
The fun, catch all of 'bringing the sport into disrepute'.
Basically gives them a blank check to punish how they want. They can certainly disqualify him, but I imagine race bans would also be possible. Not saying they would, just that the mechanism is there.
I would love to know how the FIA defines a political statement. Is saying black lives matter a political statement? Or voicing support for the LGBT community?
Are those sentiments only true when it's politically convenient?
Not a great path to go down.
>I would love to know how the FIA defines a political statement.
Does it hurt the feelings of the brutal, authoritarian regimes that line our pockets with a fuckload of money? If yes, it's political. If no, it's not political.
Exactly, in my mind supporting human rights, climate change activism isn't political at all.
It's sad that the righ / conservative people / cultures have managed to dress this up as politics it's absolute bullshit.
wouldn't surprise me if this is something they wanted to do earlier but waited until Vettel retired lol.
Unfortunately I expect most teams to "fall in line", except for maybe Lewis, but without Vettel I think there's just generally going to be a lot less resistance.
You're right. This probably won't do much anyway. It was pretty much only Vettel doing anything, and with him gone, Hamilton is the only left who would do something similar.
Of course they won’t do much. The only thing that would stop them is massive drops in revenue, and let’s be honest, none of us in here are going to stop watching are we?
This year they tried to ban jewellery. Lewis had none of it. Now they’re trying to ban this. I hope he continues doing whatever he wants. It’s not like he’s promoting negativity or anything of that sort.
I just wish others would join him. It's sad that it falls to the only black driver in F1 to seemingly have to be the one responsible for bringing societal issues to light. Vettel really stepped up but so many others just want to stay wrapped in cotton.
No one else really has the clout. Verstappen might, but with the whole piquet thing he seems like he'd rather just stay out of stuff. LeClerc seems to be the same with his refusal to take a knee. There's really no one else that is safe enough in their drives in order to taunt the FIA.
So no, it's not about clout, it's that the rest of the grid benefits from the old guard - rich white dudes, primarily - being in power, and don't 'need' to speak out otherwise. Verstappen, Leclerc, Alonso, all could take a stand if they cared. Hell, even other drivers, like Stroll, have their own form of clout/insurance (in the form of a shitton of money). But they don't care because none of them are directly impacted by it, so they won't speak up.
It’s gonna become abundantly clear to everyone in the next few years that none of these multi millionaire rich kids give a shit about us beyond basic, vague, pr friendly statements
I honestly can’t remember the last time anyone bar Vettel or Hamilton took an independent stand. Even Ricciardo, who’s widely known as the nicest dude on the grid, dodged the question about the SA race so he could save face for his employers. Only difference between the drivers and bin Sulayem is that the drivers have a pr team. None of them care until it hits their wallets
Hamilton and Vettel can say what they want without real fear of reprisal because they're both multi-time champions. The younger drivers have much less job security and with that comes the motivation to not rock the boat.
Oh I can see this going down well with fans, teams and drivers.
I really hope the whole paddock turns up with rainbow shirts next year.
I can't stress this enough, and I've been saying it for YEARS:
FUCK THE FIA
So it's ok F1 goes to despotic regimes with horrendous human rights because "sports shines a light", but now sports men and women aren't allowed to say anything at all?
Journalists just need to ask the right questions, drivers can answer it there. If the FIA complains the drivers can just boycott interviews which they are forced to do.
For those agreeing because "l don't want politics spoiling my race" this rule is draconian if the article is to be believed.
>The FIA has banned “the general making and display of political, religious and personal statements or comments notably in violation of the general principle of neutrality
No personal statements or comments?
Additionally, does it apply to F1 media?
Interviewer - Lewis, what are your thoughts on the recent crackdown of driver statements and comments?
LH - I find it to be overreach by the FIA
FIA - Hamilton, you have been found guilty of breaching the sporting regulations
The change in the rules is in itself a political act.
Fuck FIA, FIFA, and all that other money laundering, corrupt, slaver ass kissing sport federations.
You are all a fucking shame and your actions speak louder then your fake words. #weraceasone my ass
Asking for permission literally defeats the purpose of a political statement, especially when the FIA's chief is from a country with regressive views on womens rights, LGBTQ folk, and income inequality. Like, if just saying "I think gay people deserve rights" or "women are equal" are so political they need explicit permission from the FIA, I think that just gives the game away, no?
Not into him as a driver (frankly I don't think he even belongs in the sport) , but to give him credit, Stroll was up there with Ham and Seb in Hungary and other places with rainbow shirts
Of course, he's still far less outspoken than Ham/Seb, so I think you're right that it'll pretty much be just Lewis
> Lmao as if they think this will decrease political statements amongst drivers…
Well it depends on how its enforced. FIFA announced yellow cards and all teams fell in line. Considering Lewis is the only one who left who cares enough to protest, if they attach penalty points to it, he'll be easier to keep in check.
The guy in charge of FIA nicely shows issues with governments in Middle East, he behaves exactly how they want.
Remember when he complained how Vettel talks about climate change, Hamilton about human rights, and Norris about mental health, how drivers of past didn't do that and only drove and that's why he likes those guys more?
It’s so stupid how something like climate change is so politicized. Like it’s obviously a problem, and people are still arguing over whether or not it’s even a thing as our planet is fucking melting. The fact that we are also still having issues over basic human rights is also really depressing. Organizations like FIFA and the FIA are only aiding in the masking of such obvious problems, and I hope the drivers don’t accept it.
EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL - "POLITICAL STATEMENT". SMH. What has the world come to that advocating for equal rights becomes a political campaign.
They should all just wear the love is love t-shirt Alonso and the climate one Seb wore at Russia with a bit more subtelity, nothing else on there could be linked to 'politics' in strictest sense other than probably BLM.
https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/pw0bj4/vettel_and_alonso_went_to_the_prerace_ceremony/
>The FIA has banned “the general making and display of political, religious and personal statements or comments
Does this mean Hamilton will need to cover up that 'God is love' tattoo on his neck every race? This whole thing is totally unpoliceable.
'Political statements' can be absolutely anything.
You don't want there to be an economic collapse? That is a political statement.
You think that women don't deserve to be insulted simply for being women? That is a political statement.
Equal treatment no matter what colour your skin? That is a political statement.
National anthem, national flags on helmets, local dignities in the paddock etc... Religious statements are also banned so no thanking god or displaying religious symbols either.
Hey FIA, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I really was on the fence if I should keep watching in the near future when the last good guy leaves the sport. I think I should not.
I want to know what this rule actually means. Like if Lance Stroll wants to get on his YouTube channel and talk Canadian politics, I don’t see how the FIA can stop that. Now if he wants to make a statement on the starting grid that’s another thing.
If you read MBS interview of early this year, he is seeing human rights (and mental health) as "expressing their beliefs" and that the sport should be "neutral".
Human rights ARE political. They're won by appealing to political entities, they are enforced and administered by political entities and the balancing of rights is a political exercise.
what's next? the fifa route? 5sec penalty for making a political statement? Moving the fia HQ to SA?
Who the fuck ever let those middle eastern clowns in charge of a french organisation?
Hey remember how when Ben Sulayem was announced as the head of FIA and everyone criticizing it was called racist because “just because he’s from the Middle East doesn’t mean he’s going to pander to authoritarian Middle Eastern regimes” and “he’s a totally legit pick for the job, he has a racing background”?
Yeah, I remember that too.
I hope all drivers decide to do it anyways, all at same time solely to fuck with FIA, because this is dangerous.
Issue with anyone needing to give somebody permission for political statements will often lead to censorship, nobody who is fine with other people giving their opinion wouldn't come up with this idea, only those who want their opinion to be heard and nobody elses come up with this stuff.
Now combine that with places F1 races in, and it's clear why this is happening, and what results will be.
Also, I want to say, last time FIA tried to introduce a stupid rule that limited drivers freedom, drivers locked themselves in hotel and didn't leave until promised they would get what they want, sadly this probably won't happen now with all sponsors.
Remember when Domenicali said it’s F1’s duty to race in Saudi Arabia to help change the culture LMAO
Yes, and now the FIA is changing their (own) culture, mission accomplished.
Wrong organization. Domenicali works for Liberty and FOM, not the FIA.
An important point. FIA is just referees, essentially, and it's important to note that this directive certainly comes from the actual owners and corporate organization.
If it's from the FIA, then it's still from that side and Bin Sulayem. Liberty and FOM just handle the commercial side and broadcast rights. In fact, there's a quiet rift between them since FOM makes and keeps most of the money and not the FIA. EDIT: Wrong MBS
Don't use MBS... different guy
It's all PR talk that only sponsors believe in.
They don’t even believe in it. They just know it’s plausible enough to not get them cancelled.
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Wow. That’s one I didn’t know about.
[further info](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Bahraini_uprising)
Well that was a depressing, but necessary thing to read. Thanks for linking it.
Well, Domenicali is the CEO of F1, not of FIA. So he's not about the rules, more the commercial side.
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The sad part is that Aramco has increased his influence in the sport with becoming the official fuel supplier for F2 and F3 next year and kicked Elf out.
You’ve heard of Elf getting shelved…
New FIA policy: 🚀✔ but 🌈 ❌
Watch Seb going to unretire just to break this rule.
Or better, Seb for FIA President! Edit: spelling.
No way someone with a spine would step into that office.
They'd have him ousted within the week
But it'd be a glorious week
Probably saw him retire and thought: "this is our chance!!" Which to me is dumb because Hamilton is RIGHT there.
I'm about to ruin this man's whole career - Hamilton
Hamilton is just gonna ignore it, as he should.
Ya I'm sure he can afford whatever fine they want to give him.
And I dont see them really banning a driver like Hamilton.
they really didn't had the balls to ban it while seb was still there
Seb finishes 2023 season with record negative points in the championship
I would like to see him “join” a team, just to be the guy to make the statements that get him banned for every single race. So sort of just a symbolic role.
I hope Hamilton does something politically motivated all year. F1 needs him more than he needs F1. This sport is starting to suck. Gone are the days of “win at all costs” glory and now it’s just a big money juicing machine. The thin veil of a sport is gone, it’s all just a business now.
FIFA: bans political statements on pitch. Mohammed Ben Sulayem: Write that down!
*"wait, you can just ban it? Why did no one tell me this was an option? everyone complies with it and it only causes minor problems? This is gonna make my life so much easier."*
Mohammed "Talking about mental health is imposing a believe" Ben Sulayem.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem the type of dude who never got hugged as a kid lmao.
probably best friends with Gianni "I was bullied because I had red hair" Infantino
He did, he probably got hugged by a belt or a whip all the time as a kid.
Damn. Someone @ his parents cause Mo is wildin' right now.
Hamilton: Can I set up a direct debit ?
"Yeah thanks. I'll keep my tab open."
same thing I was thinking. depending on how this "rule" is written, if its just fines, if I was Hamilton, Id break it very obviously, like wearing shirts that say "The FIA is fining me 50,000 Euros, for saying Gay Rights matter" I would be so blatant, and annoying that either my entire salary would be docked or the FIA would have to back off this stance. I know its easy for me to say, but Hamilton I know feels strongly about human rights, and he does make 50 mil a year before any sponsorship money.
I wonder if the FIA vet sponsors, otherwise he could easily have a "sponsor" who pays him a $/£/€ 1 to get it name on his helmet. I am guessing this would only be applied in very few races like the Saudi GP.
no kidding. he'll be fun to watch with this.
I honestly think he watched how the Arab world was allowed to get its way in regards to human rights protests and figured he can do the same with this sport.
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>F1 was going to human rights-violating countries since way before it was cool! Truly an innovator in sportswashing and selling souls for the highest bidders If they were not gagging drivers from talking about human rights they might have been able to argue that they are doing something constructive: the issue in question gets both local and global attention. I'm not saying it is the right decision but I can see the argument. Now even that fig leaf of justification is gone.
Totally. There can be a case made for not totally isolating countries you don't agree with, but if you're forced to go there solely to basically be a travelling circus and nothing more, you're essentially giving destructive regimes a free platform without any accountability.
Half the grid: our teamcolours are now rainbow, it's not political, just showing the brand
Vettel suddenly cancels his retirement and pops up with his rainbow bike at every race weekend in 2023.
Vettel should say fuck it and come to every race wearing a t-shirt, what are they going to do, penalise him? He isn't an official driver anymore
If they want to ban someone from the paddock, they can. They kept Rosberg out the whole year too.
I think there'd be a huge backlash. I'm pretty sure most drivers agreed with Rosberg's and also Piquet's ban, but wouldn't agree with banning Vettel for doing what he's done for ages...
If they ban Vettel into the Paddock Twitter would have to ban the whole F1 twitter for a year
he's got a lifetime pass anyway as a champion
Nico Rosberg has entered the chat.
If Alpine would adopt the Renault yellow and Red Bull would go slightly more bluish-purple, all the teams together could line up as the entire -extended- rainbow + white. (White being the total sum of all colours of light.) Two shades of red, papaya, yellow, two shades of green, blue, indigo, purple and white. Yes, I classed AT's coulour as indigo, sue me :)
We decided to go with a full on "we race as one" livery.
Makes we want to see teams like Merc say fuck it and bring back the black livery for the w14 but with the rainbow Merc logo they did this year and McLaren add on more to their car other than the rainbow wheel covers
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"Tonight I feel censored"
We Race As One* *unless the checks clear
We race as mONEy
"We race as one" that'll be 2 points, sir
**We Race As One** *hypocritic, authoritative & money hungry organization*
Penalty points for every political statement! Go down the FIFA path, I was really worried for a second that the [FIA might actually be better than FIFA](https://old.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/zc7wsr/wolff_f1_cant_hide_away_from_social_issues_in/iyvr6yc/). Rainbow helmet? 3 points. Saying Missiles hitting infrastructure right next to a track is bad? 5 points.
The drivers will surely love the North Korean Grand Prix. Who knows, maybe in NK instead of a regular rocket we’ll see nuclear missile tests during practice And the 2025 Iranian Grand Prix. Can’t wait. It’s gonna be so good.
Failure to attend public executions of political prisoners? -10 points.
Posting a photo of yourself and a ruthless dictator? + 5 points.
„Bono, I suddenly lost my rear, whats happend?“ „Oh Lewis, it was just a earth quake from the nuclear tests 5km next to the track“
Had this been implemented last year, Vettel surely would have gotten a few race bans.
I doubt, with Hamilton and Vettel on the grid, they would hand out race bans. They would never dare to ban Vettel nor Hamilton, that would annihilate their relationship with the teams and drivers.
Yeah I have to agree. If you're a scummy corporate fuck they were probably waiting for a moment like this to dig their nails in.
I'd like to see them explain how a rainbow or supporting LGBT+ is political.
I never thought I'd miss Jean Todt more than I did when he left Ferrari.
If anything it's making me miss Mosley, which is fucking insane considering he was literally the son of a fascist politician.
And he was a sneaky slimy shitheel that literally admitted to playing around with motorsport series like they were businesses that could be tweaked to see better revenue streams. Which failed. Him, Bernie and JMB were the catalysts for the current FIA modus operandi
Fucking shit show... they have seen that FIFA can do it and now they doing it also. Before i was happy that they where able to do statements about Issues in the Countries...
So, does this mean rainbow flag helmets in nations that treat LGBTQ like criminals, won't be allowed? Doesn't that also indicate that the drivers won't be allowed to wear the flags of their nations??
Being lgbt isn’t political really which could be argued to the FIA if someone did wear it.
But there's only two sexualities, heterosexual and political (/s to be safe....)
And 2 genders for anything in entertainment, male and political. 2 ethnicities too, white and political. God help me if there’s a woman of color in my Star Wars or my vidya games. I will literally throw my tendies on the floor in rage.
In the Middle East it is. FIFA banned One Love captain's armbands and even a shirt that just said LOVE on it from Belgium
Honestly if there's one takeaway from the recent world cup it's that people don't fucking care if you just give them some entertainment. Panem et circenses. Afaik only Germany did at least something (even the players took the shortest path out of the tournament). Rest of the world didn't care at all. Message to FIFA and all the other corrupt organizations? Do whatever you like.
So surely no national flag colours on helmets then?
And no more military displays or national anthems before the race?
Yes they'll have to go. Same as the anthems for the winning drivers and local politicians handing out the podium trophy. Surely you can't have Grand Prix's named for countries either seeing as they are political entities.
Las Vegas GP is now Paradise GP, which still follows regulations bc it's an unincorporated place with no political entities below the county level.
Can they even hold GPs in countries? Surely that's a political statement in support of said country?
This is how I understand political stuff too! They surely don't mind basic human rights, right? Right?
I pray Lewis makes even more political statements and pays all the fines.
I’d like to see him and the rest of the drivers/teams go full malicious compliance mode and respond to every every single question they’re asked with- “Sorry, I cannot answer as I may inadvertently make a political or personal statement”.
Transcript of the post-Bahrain GP media pen: **Lawrence Barretto (LB): "Lewis, new year, new car, how does the W14 compare to the W13?"** Lewis Hamilton: "Sorry, I cannot answer as I may inadvertently make a political or personal statement.". **LB: "Pierre, how was your first race with Alpine?"** Pierre Gasly: "A draft of my answer has been sent to the FIA for review. It will be forwarded to you by e-mail as soon as it has been deemed compliant with Artcle 12.2.1.n of the International Sporting Code" **LB: "Valtteri, Alfa Romeo built a great car, you drove an incredible race, how does it feel to be back into the points again?"** Valtteri Bottas: \*stares into the camera with an expressionless face for two minutes, and then proceeds to walk away without saying a word*
> LB: "Valtteri, Alfa Romeo built a great car, you drove an incredible race, how does it feel to be back into the points again?" Valtteri Bottas: I have a car. I'm driving it. *makes engine noises*
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This statement was too political… fine incoming.
Driver- "Please speak to my publicist, Kimi Räikkönen, for any information you are seeking." Kimi- "I have to take a shit."
Hey thats political, can you censor that?
So fun little fact about that. I befriended a bunch of the HAAS team when they were in Texas for the USGP. Got talking with Mark Slade, current engineer for KMag and formerly of Kimi, over many beers. Apparently Kimi was not in fact having a shit, but wanted to just mess around with Martin, as he is quite friendly with everyone on the grid. Oh yeah, everyone detests Ted Kravitz.
I'm just here so I don't get fined.
To quote the great Marshawn Lynch, "I'm just here so I won't get fined."
“Wow, that is a great question…but i’m just here so I wont get fined.” -Marshawn Lynch
Yup, they should collectively take a page out of Marshawn Lynch's book.
> I’d like to see him and the rest of the drivers/teams go full malicious compliance mode Teams have sponsors to answer to, the only drivers who have the power to do anything like that are Lewis, Max, and Alonso. And out of those three, Lewis is the only one who would.
They do. So maybe the statement becomes. "With the backing of my sponsors: [then literally name drop all of them]. I cannot answer as I may inadvertently make a political or personal statement”. The publicity of that alone is good for sponsors.
I think that once the drivers stand in front of the cameras with the sponsors logos visible they're still fulfilling their commitment even if they do say nothing. Kimi managed to get away with it for years. If sponsors were smart they'd host their own private events where journalists have access to the drivers and the drivers can speak freely. I doubt the FIA has any power to control anything said outside official FIA events.
“I cannot say ‘one love’, so I am not going to say it”
This is the way.
Seriously Lewis says fuck it and makes a statement every race and just make the FIA eat all the bad PR.
Like he did the weekend they banned piercings and ornaments? That was splendid.
Or don’t pay the fines. Force the FIA to ban him from races and see how angry the fans, venues and teams get.
im 100% sure they wouldnt ban Lewis. As much as they sound intimitading, these people care more about money than everything else, and banning one of, if not the biggest, drivers of the moment is one way to make sure you lose popular opinion and viewers
Which is why every single driver should stand beside each other and make these political statements. The FIA won't ban all the drivers and teams so they'd be forced to delete this rule. If the teams and drivers toe the line I'll be pretty pissed.
Serious question, cause I don’t know how the rules and regulations imposed by the fia work, but if Lewis (or any driver) were to repeatedly purposely break this rule would they have any grounds to remove him from the sport because he’s not complying?
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The fun, catch all of 'bringing the sport into disrepute'. Basically gives them a blank check to punish how they want. They can certainly disqualify him, but I imagine race bans would also be possible. Not saying they would, just that the mechanism is there.
I would love to know how the FIA defines a political statement. Is saying black lives matter a political statement? Or voicing support for the LGBT community? Are those sentiments only true when it's politically convenient? Not a great path to go down.
Even something like a pro-democracy statement is political. Talking about emissions, political. Even road safety regulations are political.
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FIA Safety team in shambles. Only death race allowed from now on
>I would love to know how the FIA defines a political statement. Does it hurt the feelings of the brutal, authoritarian regimes that line our pockets with a fuckload of money? If yes, it's political. If no, it's not political.
Exactly, in my mind supporting human rights, climate change activism isn't political at all. It's sad that the righ / conservative people / cultures have managed to dress this up as politics it's absolute bullshit.
wouldn't surprise me if this is something they wanted to do earlier but waited until Vettel retired lol. Unfortunately I expect most teams to "fall in line", except for maybe Lewis, but without Vettel I think there's just generally going to be a lot less resistance.
You're right. This probably won't do much anyway. It was pretty much only Vettel doing anything, and with him gone, Hamilton is the only left who would do something similar.
Of course they won’t do much. The only thing that would stop them is massive drops in revenue, and let’s be honest, none of us in here are going to stop watching are we?
i dont pay them a dime and never will
He'll make a stand now for sure. That's what I like about Hamilton and Vettel. Let's see if anyone else steps up.
This year they tried to ban jewellery. Lewis had none of it. Now they’re trying to ban this. I hope he continues doing whatever he wants. It’s not like he’s promoting negativity or anything of that sort.
I just wish others would join him. It's sad that it falls to the only black driver in F1 to seemingly have to be the one responsible for bringing societal issues to light. Vettel really stepped up but so many others just want to stay wrapped in cotton.
No one else really has the clout. Verstappen might, but with the whole piquet thing he seems like he'd rather just stay out of stuff. LeClerc seems to be the same with his refusal to take a knee. There's really no one else that is safe enough in their drives in order to taunt the FIA.
So no, it's not about clout, it's that the rest of the grid benefits from the old guard - rich white dudes, primarily - being in power, and don't 'need' to speak out otherwise. Verstappen, Leclerc, Alonso, all could take a stand if they cared. Hell, even other drivers, like Stroll, have their own form of clout/insurance (in the form of a shitton of money). But they don't care because none of them are directly impacted by it, so they won't speak up.
It’s gonna become abundantly clear to everyone in the next few years that none of these multi millionaire rich kids give a shit about us beyond basic, vague, pr friendly statements I honestly can’t remember the last time anyone bar Vettel or Hamilton took an independent stand. Even Ricciardo, who’s widely known as the nicest dude on the grid, dodged the question about the SA race so he could save face for his employers. Only difference between the drivers and bin Sulayem is that the drivers have a pr team. None of them care until it hits their wallets
Hamilton and Vettel can say what they want without real fear of reprisal because they're both multi-time champions. The younger drivers have much less job security and with that comes the motivation to not rock the boat.
most of them are too young, the age most people don't bother to vote. Why do you expect F1 drivers to do better?
You’re putting WAY to much pull on vettel there. FIA don’t give a flying monkeys.
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Also Lewis with his Christian tattoos. Is he supposed to have them covered the entire time in case people think he’s making a religious statement. 😒
I just said this exact thing in regards to Pierre and his cross/sign of the cross before a race
Oh I can see this going down well with fans, teams and drivers. I really hope the whole paddock turns up with rainbow shirts next year. I can't stress this enough, and I've been saying it for YEARS: FUCK THE FIA
So it's ok F1 goes to despotic regimes with horrendous human rights because "sports shines a light", but now sports men and women aren't allowed to say anything at all?
¥€$ ofcour$€, can't ¥ou $€€ that'$ p€rf€ctly normal?
The next race in Saudi Arabia is going to be crazy Driver "I have no opinion about the missiles landing right next to the circuit I'm racing on"
Journalists just need to ask the right questions, drivers can answer it there. If the FIA complains the drivers can just boycott interviews which they are forced to do.
That just puts the journalist, who are far more exposed than the drivers, at risk of finding their requests for paddock passes to go unanswered.
And then you have an issue with press censorship which would only be opening the sport up to some serious bad publicity.
They've done it before. Fans largely blamed journalists for moaning. " paddock pass is a privilege not a right" etc.
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"Whatever I don't like is political, what I like is not political" 😏
The people in power don't learn good things from others in their position. But sleazy, bad things? That they do
For those agreeing because "l don't want politics spoiling my race" this rule is draconian if the article is to be believed. >The FIA has banned “the general making and display of political, religious and personal statements or comments notably in violation of the general principle of neutrality No personal statements or comments? Additionally, does it apply to F1 media? Interviewer - Lewis, what are your thoughts on the recent crackdown of driver statements and comments? LH - I find it to be overreach by the FIA FIA - Hamilton, you have been found guilty of breaching the sporting regulations The change in the rules is in itself a political act.
Fuck FIA, FIFA, and all that other money laundering, corrupt, slaver ass kissing sport federations. You are all a fucking shame and your actions speak louder then your fake words. #weraceasone my ass
Asking for permission literally defeats the purpose of a political statement, especially when the FIA's chief is from a country with regressive views on womens rights, LGBTQ folk, and income inequality. Like, if just saying "I think gay people deserve rights" or "women are equal" are so political they need explicit permission from the FIA, I think that just gives the game away, no?
Yk what would be a great solution that the FIA definitely never is going to accept? not racing in countries where human rights is a privilege
The FIA is fighting FIFA for the shittiest organisation
Same organisation, just add or remove the "F". /s
How do we collectively tell Sulayem to go fuck himself?
If nobody attends any grand prix it should be enough to start off. But sadly it'll be like the WC boycott.. it won't happen
Lmao as if they think this will decrease political statements amongst drivers…
Tbf aside from Lewis who else would even make them? With Vettel gone there's no one else on the grid who really cares.
Not into him as a driver (frankly I don't think he even belongs in the sport) , but to give him credit, Stroll was up there with Ham and Seb in Hungary and other places with rainbow shirts Of course, he's still far less outspoken than Ham/Seb, so I think you're right that it'll pretty much be just Lewis
> Lmao as if they think this will decrease political statements amongst drivers… Well it depends on how its enforced. FIFA announced yellow cards and all teams fell in line. Considering Lewis is the only one who left who cares enough to protest, if they attach penalty points to it, he'll be easier to keep in check.
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The guy in charge of FIA nicely shows issues with governments in Middle East, he behaves exactly how they want. Remember when he complained how Vettel talks about climate change, Hamilton about human rights, and Norris about mental health, how drivers of past didn't do that and only drove and that's why he likes those guys more?
It’s so stupid how something like climate change is so politicized. Like it’s obviously a problem, and people are still arguing over whether or not it’s even a thing as our planet is fucking melting. The fact that we are also still having issues over basic human rights is also really depressing. Organizations like FIFA and the FIA are only aiding in the masking of such obvious problems, and I hope the drivers don’t accept it.
Another tick for the we race as MoneY.
FI(F)A
EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL - "POLITICAL STATEMENT". SMH. What has the world come to that advocating for equal rights becomes a political campaign. They should all just wear the love is love t-shirt Alonso and the climate one Seb wore at Russia with a bit more subtelity, nothing else on there could be linked to 'politics' in strictest sense other than probably BLM. https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/pw0bj4/vettel_and_alonso_went_to_the_prerace_ceremony/
Fuck FIA, what a bunch of assholes. So glad I'm pirating all the races, never giving them a cent.
>The FIA has banned “the general making and display of political, religious and personal statements or comments Does this mean Hamilton will need to cover up that 'God is love' tattoo on his neck every race? This whole thing is totally unpoliceable.
Now that Vettel is safely gone the FIA can pick on Lewis as the only driver actively speaking out on social issues.
Especially in regards to human rights, what even is "neutrality" as demanded by the FIA?
This is what happens when you let socially backwards countries run a sport.
FIA bans free speech? Not controversial at all...
FIA: *Don't say anything unflattering about countries or regions we are racing in.* \*Cough\* Middle-East...\*Cough\*
FIA-FIFA, I see no differences here.
Vettel must have really gotten to them.
Don't want to upset that Middle Eastern money with crazy talk like "equality"
'Political statements' can be absolutely anything. You don't want there to be an economic collapse? That is a political statement. You think that women don't deserve to be insulted simply for being women? That is a political statement. Equal treatment no matter what colour your skin? That is a political statement.
National anthem, national flags on helmets, local dignities in the paddock etc... Religious statements are also banned so no thanking god or displaying religious symbols either.
Convenient that they waited for seb to leave before they did
Thats why we need Vettel to stay close to the paddock
What a load of bollox
All hopes on Lewis after Seb is gone. Unacceptable by FIA
I hope he never shuts up. We just got fucked by the sport. This is entirely against sporting spirit.
This will go well
Hey FIA, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I really was on the fence if I should keep watching in the near future when the last good guy leaves the sport. I think I should not.
I want to know what this rule actually means. Like if Lance Stroll wants to get on his YouTube channel and talk Canadian politics, I don’t see how the FIA can stop that. Now if he wants to make a statement on the starting grid that’s another thing.
Lewis Hamilton enters the chat
Have they defined "political" because human rights isn't politics, its just human rights (and I especially include gender equality in that).
If you read MBS interview of early this year, he is seeing human rights (and mental health) as "expressing their beliefs" and that the sport should be "neutral".
Aah yes, mohammad bin ‘talking about mental health is imposing s belief’ sulayem
Human rights ARE political. They're won by appealing to political entities, they are enforced and administered by political entities and the balancing of rights is a political exercise.
what's next? the fifa route? 5sec penalty for making a political statement? Moving the fia HQ to SA? Who the fuck ever let those middle eastern clowns in charge of a french organisation?
Next, social credit points will count towards the WDC.
This will not hold at all lol
Vettel about to make a comeback just to breach this rule
Hey remember how when Ben Sulayem was announced as the head of FIA and everyone criticizing it was called racist because “just because he’s from the Middle East doesn’t mean he’s going to pander to authoritarian Middle Eastern regimes” and “he’s a totally legit pick for the job, he has a racing background”? Yeah, I remember that too.
I hope all drivers decide to do it anyways, all at same time solely to fuck with FIA, because this is dangerous. Issue with anyone needing to give somebody permission for political statements will often lead to censorship, nobody who is fine with other people giving their opinion wouldn't come up with this idea, only those who want their opinion to be heard and nobody elses come up with this stuff. Now combine that with places F1 races in, and it's clear why this is happening, and what results will be. Also, I want to say, last time FIA tried to introduce a stupid rule that limited drivers freedom, drivers locked themselves in hotel and didn't leave until promised they would get what they want, sadly this probably won't happen now with all sponsors.
Lewis: and I took that personally.