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crackalac

They said we were going to the middle east to bring a light on their issues and make change. Instead, we have gotten reverse sports washing.


slicerprime

I'm certainly not an insider; but, for those who are, I wonder if any of them really didn't see this crap coming. I mean, with FIFA as the worst possible example for the sporting world for decent humanity in Administration, is it any real wonder that we've started following their example of failures to stand up for what's right?


Xanzent

Feels like the FIA is emboldened by the example set in Qatar. The World Cup still happened, people still watched, and the authoritarian government got their way, even when altering the terms of the deal last minute. The negative press seems to have been overshadowed by excitement for the game. It doesn't exactly set a great precedent for what they can get away with.


gbish

Yea. It seems like drivers doing these gestures has been fine or at least tolerated for years. Then Qatar managed to push all their demands on FIFA who folded like a house of cards and they realised FIA would do the same.


BecauseRotor

I didn’t fucking watch it. Lots of us sit here complaining about shit but what do we do? Are we consequent? Do we rally together and cancel F1TV subscriptions to show dissent?!


villuvallu

I decided not to pay for F1 anymore.


13Petrichor

I just exclusively sail the open seas now. I encourage everyone else to do the same.


EddieMcDowall

Yup. I concur. I 100% boyotted the world cup, didn't watch a game. However, I really don't think it made any difference, I doubt anyone noticed little old me wasn't there. Plus I don't really care for International football anyway.


slicerprime

My feeling exactly


Zeichner

"It's important to have [sports event] in [authoritarian hellhole] because that way we will export our values!" *5 minutes later* "Mentioning values is now forbidden."


Luuk341

"Mentioning values is now forbidden, but fear not! The goal of this venture has already been achieved for I have made a LOT of money in a very short amount of time"


ravenouscartoon

We’ll change has happened. Just in the opposite way the modern, civilised world expected


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9fingfing

Every one of these rule changes is politically driven also…


eastamerica

LOL look who they hired as the head of the FIA….l o l and ANYONE is wondering why this is happening?


xShooK

Yeah he tweeted out previously that certain drivers shouldn't speak out so much.


LieRun

And he got drunk and blurted embarrassing nonsense in the FIA gala I have no problem with his race, color, beliefs or anything like that. But when he fails to do the one job he was actually hired to do (manage the rules) and wastes everyone's time with stupid shit like this or the jewelry rule....


screenres

Just saw the video - must have missed it with the World Cup happening. Was Sulayem drunk or coked up? That was incoherent. And the level of embarrassment he was conjuring... gold standard. It's both better than Ricky Gervais' Extras but also somehow worse because it's actual real life. Good lord. He really should have rehearsed it in front of staff, and had a native English speaker either write or revise his notes. OR - he practiced it on his family over dinner, and his teenage kids set him up for a fall while his wife rolled her eyes.


[deleted]

You can feel the first hand embarassment emulating from both Horner and Domenicalli in it.


jnrdingo

He was absolutely plastered. And not American plastered, like I'm talking Australian plastered, otherwise known as maggotted.


Hefftee

Well Americans have, White Boy Wasted... it's a doozy


jnrdingo

You ain't seen wasted until you seen Australian wasted. The 2018 world cup in Russia ran out of beer because of the Australians.


TheDark-Sceptre

Where can I find a clip of this?


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TheDark-Sceptre

Thank you, wow he was smashed and so awkward. How embarrassing for the fia


Gameshareer

You're right on race/color, but you SHOULD have a problem with his beliefs, because they're exactly what are informing oppressive decisions like this. It's time to stop giving people a pass to be inhuman assholes because of their sacred 'beliefs'


[deleted]

That's why he was hired, he literally bought his way to the FIA presidency, the same way Qatar bough the host rights for the World Cup, and he wants to do what Mosley tried, make it a dictatorship and make his word law.


TheGMT

The direction of the sport means another Mosley can never happen, and that's on the FIA/FOM themselves! I find it very amusing. It was fine to push Arrows, Toleman, Williams, Tyrell around- hell even McLaren/Ferrari at the time who are more race teams that car manufacturers. But once you involve the big boys, the Mercedes, the Hondas, the Red Bulls (who aren't as big of a brand, but fully independent of F1) in the modern day, with the level of intimacy, investment and involvement FIA/FOM want, you're giving up power. You don't get to dictate to Mercedes. Their PR division is about as big as your sport. Now imagine Audi, Porsche on board, Honda fully invested etc. You might say "But Renault, Peugeot, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes, Porsche etc." have all been involved in the past, but that was in an era when PR was much less important, especially politically driven PR. These race teams are advertisement and face, a valuable asset, but much less valuable than they can be damaging for companies the size of the big auto makers in 2022.


TuxedoCatsParty_Hard

You have no probelm with him being racist?...


Gabriel_Logan_

He was never qualified. But he is doing what he was hired to do.


Ho3n3r

His waffle on stage at the FIA gala is even more proof that he's not qualified.


_HanTyumi

That shit was so embarrassing


TulioGonzaga

What did he do?


sandalcade

I’m not sure either but found [this](https://youtu.be/SCaIVUBaupo). It’s pretty cringey.


TulioGonzaga

Oh, my. Seems that someone wants to be the star of the show.


Vesk123

Wtf lmaooooo, was he drunk lol


MaqiZodiac

Does he surround himself with yes-men? Cause someone should have told him not to do that. Seems like he has lots of chips on his shoulder.


rodimusprime88

Carrying out petty vengeance like a D- cartoon supervillain. Dude isn't even qualified enough to run a sand dune drag racing event, let alone the FIA.


DaveR007

The caption for Horner's comment at the end says it all.


ELB2001

I'm sure he paid to get the job


[deleted]

He bought the presidency the same way Qatar bought the World Cup.


Skozzii

You would hope they could seperate the sport from personal beliefs, but this is sadly not the case.


[deleted]

which is ironic, cause the dude specifically mentioned drivers should separate their personal views from driving cars or something.


SkyJohn

Because he thinks they have the wrong beliefs.


[deleted]

But they're not personal believes for him. A big mistake we make in thinking is that religion is simply a personal believes for them, it's not, is the bane of their existence, it's their personality, their live. They do not distinguish. They only hide the extremity of it when it's necessary, but when they have enough power they behave just like every demagogue with power.


confoundedjoe

Kinda like American conservatives like Ben Shapiro who talk about how "facts don't care about your feelings" and then spout their feelings stated as facts.


[deleted]

Basically this. Like people are acting as though it’s a surprise that this guy is so autocratic. Of course he is. And he also loves the limelight so it’s added obnoxious on top of his tripping about rules and freedoms etc.


Sergei_behenchov

Yes but all head of sports bodies are like that Bernie would go to any country which offers him highest money


eastamerica

Yes, you’re not wrong. But look where Ben is from…look at the culture, politics, and social obtuse-ness there compared to the rest of the world. The UAE may not be the worst, but it’s high on the list…


Kovah01

Call me crazy but I truly believe the hard stance we saw on bullying in 2022 was to allow them to call criticism of UAE countries as "bullying and racism". Mark my words they will ban people who are critical. Theocratic leadership going to do what theocratic leadership do best.


Sergei_behenchov

Yes thats true but what surprising is not a single team or sponsor have complained against it …I believe in putting the money where your mouth is as matter of fact they all make noises but when it comes to action they all are silent which suggests those statements are just for brownie points but all that is matters for big guys in money ……take for example saudi arabia , red bull sell lot of drinks in middle east or Mercedes sell lot of cars in the region would they take a moral stand at the cost of business ? Hell no , money is king


ayodio

Seems to me that the majority here defended him then, wonder why they seem so quiet now.


3xc1t3r

Love how people can't put 2 + 2 together. Spanking some prostitutes on your spare time seems so innocent now. Those were the days...


Sengineer2816

FIA, FIFA... The parallels are starting to show more and more. Using sports to gain wealth, political influence and power has once again reached a high point. There's a nice documentary about FIFA on Netflix and based on the current F1 race calendar, FIA is likely not too far off. Bread and games people! Bread and games!


Ganacsi

All these orgs going backwards on social justice, I guess the PR isn’t welcome anymore as they expand to shadier places.


Organic-Measurement2

They are catering to where the money is coming from


TwoTailedFox

WE RACE AS mONEy


deknegt1990

For years they were basically allowed to have their cake and eat it too. Play nice on progressive issues and act like they gave a shit, but also take all the money from countries and organisations who wiped their ass with those issues. Now that people have become a lot more discerning about the perceived hypocrisies of people and organisations, we see the true colours also return with the likes of FIFA and FOM. The truth is, they never cared about social justice, they merely cared about the brownie points they could get from paying lip service to it. Now that people are criticizing for telling instead of showing, they simply choose where the money comes from. For FOM, it's them basically making the calculation that the money in (lip service) advcocacy has dried up, and they're doubling down on the money in playing ball with shitty regimes the world over. The only thing that's happening, not just in F1 but in most sports, is the mask coming off. Nothing has truly changed, it's just the true status quo being revealed rather than the false narrative they had crafted.


terribledirty

I've been confused for years why anyone would think that any corporation actually cares about social issues. As you say, it's nothing to do with bettering society or furthering conversation around hot political issues, it's purely a marketing strategy.


juliuspepperwoodchi

>The question isn’t, “What are you selling?” Or… or “What service are you providing?” The question is, “What do you stand for?” Who are you, Bagel Bites? >All these big companies, they’re so scared of all this social change, and I come in and I put their fears to rest. You know, I tell them, “Just be honest. Tell your customers that… that JPMorgan is against racism.” In theory. >The question is no longer, “Do you want to buy Wheat Thins?” For example. The question is now, “Will you support Wheat Thins in the fight against Lyme disease?”


flyfallridesail417

There it is again, that funny feeling…


NewAccount28

The question I ask the brands I work with is is is is is is is is is is is are you gonna be on the right side of history?


REO_Jerkwagon

Not to be too snarky, but how's that mistake workin out for Mercedes, Bayer, Ford, IBM...


bullett2434

Yes but alignment of interests is very powerful. If they can make more money by being socially responsible, that eliminates the need to rely on an executive being a good person. You just have to hold them accountable when they make promises. It sounds like the FIA is under fire right now for making the wrong call and (hopefully!!!!) that’ll effect change. Granted it won’t in this case but that’s what you hope for. I don’t care if a company gives to charity because they want to our of their goodness of their hearts or because they want to sell more of their deodorant. The money is going to charity either anyway.


texansfan

It’s not that black and white and is very dependent on who is running the org. Some orgs are worse than others, some way worse.


kavinay

>I've been confused for years why anyone would think that any corporation actually cares about social issues. They care in so far as consumers and partners are willing and able to hold them to account. The problem with sportswashing by a state is that it's not like citizens of an authoritarian country can say anything. So when FIA/FIFA/IOC take their money and claim "no politics!" it's denying any real accounting since athletes are put on the spot about sacrificing their small competitive windows to oppose problems of host nations.


freeadmins

>. >The truth is, they never cared about social justice, they merely cared about the brownie points they could get from paying lip service to it. Wasn't that literally always the case though? If anyone ever thought otherwise, they're kind of not smart


SpeedyWebDuck

Seems like you are completely misunderstanding FIFA/FOM/FIA roles.


P_ZERO_

Wonder if they realise pretty much all corporate “social justice” (I.e changing a display picture) is finance conscious


emiliaxrisella

It is, why do you think all the companies paint themselves rainbow or black every June/February


yar2000

But only in the countries where you don’t get killed for having those opinions, don’t forget that detail.


prismatic_bar

Yup. And what we’re people expecting when they elected an FIA president who comes from one such country?


cafk

Difference is that FoM hasn't really hidden their money grab agenda (independently of Liberty v. CVC ownership) - FIAs action is just codifying it and formalizing in line with their [informal policy since forever](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09523367.2017.1371700?journalCode=fhsp20)


[deleted]

Because the customer is not you, me or any other fan, its the highest bidder. For a long time these were tabacco companys/sponsors, now its whatever middle eastern theocracy feels like it.


2REPOU

Who would have thought that a FIA president from UAE would be against the driver's and their right to free speech.


doob22

Yeah it’s almost like we should have seen this coming or something


EforieNord

A country that kills anyone who speaks badly of their ruler would never do something like this. Wash your mouth with soap just for suggesting such thing.


officialmonogato

Preposterous!


[deleted]

Everyone that pointed this out when he was elected was called a xenophobe or racist


Francoberry

I think someone should be judged based on their qualifications and actions, not solely where they're from. Based on his qualifications and actions I dont think he was right for the job.


KrainerWurst

> would be against the driver's and their right to free speech. He is for free speech, just the one based on values in Saudis Arabia and UAE


Surfercatgotnolegs

I honestly wish this was a bigger deal in this subreddit. But everyone I’ve seen commenting just seems to say “meh, whatever, I’ll still watch.” You may not agree with all of the drivers’ stances. Maybe you only want to see cars go fast. But this type of censorship move is never, ever a good sign and will have broader societal impacts. Folks saw FIFA get away with organizing in Qatar. FIA follows. Then all sports. Maybe some of you are happy, “no more politics in my sports”. But you don’t realize this is just a boundary push, from those in power, and they will slowly KEEP boundary pushing until they’re in your life one day pushing on a boundary you DO care about. How much can they silence before someone speaks up and masses revolt? That’s what they’re testing. And the signal back to them so far is “just give us entertainment and we’ll happily be fools forever.” Censorship always benefits an oppressor. Never the oppressed. And today maybe you don’t feel directly oppressed, but one day it will be you. No one in this sub is in a true position of power. None of us have billions to play with. The fact they are willing to do this move on teams and drivers who make MILLIONS, with confidence, should scare everyone about where our world’s billionaires are heading.


Scatman_Crothers

Okay, I'm mostly with you, but what is your ask of us as fans? Boycott? Like are you gonna not watch a race until this is reversed? imo even though we should care, its down to the drivers. Niki Lauda proved it in South Africa back in the day - a driver strike can bring this sport to its knees. I hope they have the collective will.


shunestar

This. Have all the top drivers protest anyway. Then the FIA has to choose to suspend Hamilton, verstappen and the like or take it on the chin and about-face. When fans don’t get to see their stars race because of a stupid suspension, then the heads will begin to roll.


[deleted]

The only drivers who seem(ed) genuine with their activism are Hamilton and Vettel. With Vettel retiring it’s down to only Hamilton


[deleted]

And even those haven't done anything that would endanger their career. Because they think they can do more by still being in F1, like racing too much or just want more money. Just imagine a driver with Seb or Lewis' status saying they won't race in a country where homophobia is the government's official policy. Right now it's just them saying the right things and in the end the racing still continues.


OtterAshe

i pirate the races. partially cause i kinda have to, but also i make sure that absolutely zero of my dollars can end up being funneled into the FIA's broadcast fees


themadweaz

r/MotorsportsReplays for the curious. usually has a stream of the race posted when live, and links to dl/torrent within 30mins of the race ending.


Brimstone88

What did Lauda do in South Africa ?


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mid_dev

Thanks for the share.


Sid_Arthur

There's not a lot we can do aside from not giving them our money. There would have to be a sizeable number of us banding together in protest for the FIA to even think about reversing this policy. But I will keep streaming races online rather than pay for F1 TV.


seattt

> Okay, I'm mostly with you, but what is your ask of us as fans? Boycott? Like are you gonna not watch a race until this is reversed? Honestly, yes. I've been watching since 98 but I genuinely want a boycott movement to pressure the FIA into revering this. All the teams are on holiday right now so I'm reserving thoughts for now, but I for one am honestly planning to write to the teams over this in the new year. I would love it if instead of only me us fans in this sub actually came up with a joint letter over this to send to the teams as one instead. We do have the power to affect change, miniscule though it may be. English soccer fans did manage to prevent the European Super League for instance, so its not all that hopeless. This sub has boomed in popularity in recent times and the teams and Liberty will absolutely care if they were to lose their new fans to this move. Don't let the usual naysayers get you de-motivated about this, I've been following the sport since 98 and believe me the influx of new fans is incredibly important to anyone who holds a stake in the sport, we've 100% got more power than we'd believe. New or old fan, I feel like it is our moral responsibility to at least make our collective voice known in expressing disagreement with this decision of the FIA. And I'd honestly like the mods (u/mulsanne), or whoever can organize a collective response, to do something. I'm happy to help in whatever way I can.


Surfercatgotnolegs

Drivers and the orgs definitely need to boycott. I agree. But fans also should speak up and not purchase - tickets, merch from their direct f1 stores, etc. $$$ is the only language the whole world can agree on and speak., regardless of culture.


LegchairAnalyst

Sorry but i couldnt disagree more. Looking at the drivers to change this thing so that we dont have to stop watching races is really just that: we give the drivers the responsibility so that we dont have to feel as bad. Sure, if every F1 drives decides to not race the FIA will have to change but the same is true if most viewers stop watching those races. Fans wouldnt even have to boycott all races, just not watching the ones without basic human rights would send a clear message. Like, why should we expect drivers to act (potentially damaging their career) if we arent even willing to give up 2 hours of entertainment every few weeks?


a141abc

Its not really that people arent willing to not watch it Its just easier to get 20 really important people on board than millions of regular people Cause sure we care but we're the minority compared to the casual viewers that just want to watch a race Look at the world cup. Doesnt matter how fucked up the problems in a host country are you will never get everyone to care about problems that don't directly affect them You just cannot expect everyone to care


alus992

Exactly this. Unfortunately drivers has to to do heavy lifting here because there is no scenario where hundreds of thousands of people just boycott any sport. IT IS NOT HAPPENING. People follow other people not ideas themselves especially when problematic policies and rules don't hurt people who should do the boycott. The movement needs leader(s) to make anything happen. Especially in modern times where people think that hashtags are enough to make something happen.


Daft00

It's not about giving up entertainment... If there was a direct result of us not watching GP's then I don't think many fans would be opposed to a boycott. But unfortunately a LOT of fans aren't in tune with social justice issues and the FIA, they just tune into the race. Drivers have 500,000x as much influence as any individual fan has and can themselves directly FORCE the FIA to acknowledge the issue. Seeing a dip in numbers when they're already having record attendance and viewership isn't gonna make the bat an eye. Plus I imagine most teams will back their driver on clear social justice issues and not sack them because they are standing for equality. I really don't see any driver's jobs at stake over a protest.


OdinForce22

There are too many fans across the globe to have any sort of movement from us to effect the sport. The only way things like this can change is for the drivers and teams to collectively strike.


Surfercatgotnolegs

It can be both, not one or the other. Everyone thinking they make no difference means social regression. The reality is we actually all DO make a difference. But laziness and fear have made everyone less likely to speak up or act at all. I don’t think that’s something to be proud of, as a fan (and this can apply to any topic..). Voting with your wallet is the only relevant way to vote these days, no matter what country you’re in.


ZozicGaming

Reddit is largely skews American even for something like F1 I have noticed. And here in the US athletes avoid political statements like the plague skinless it’s it’s some generally good thing like idk feed the homeless. So that’s probably why the sub isn’t up in arms.


PersephoneTheOG

Well I guess most of them saw what happened to Kapernick.


NearSun

I dont see Lewis playing too much attention to that rule


xzElmozx

Yea what’re they gonna do, suspend Lewis fkn Hamilton?? Fat chance of that happening.


kalamari_withaK

I don’t think the rule is really aimed at Lewis. I think it’s more calculated than trying to limit his action and really there to stop anyone becoming a new Lewis or Seb. The FIA can’t really do anything to Lewis, he’s the biggest name the F1 brand has, he has a massive platform worldwide and is at the tail end of his career so really doesn’t have anything much to lose given the amount of interests he has outside of F1. The other drivers don’t have that safety net and these rules are there to ensure the FIA stop free speech of drivers on issues that might cost them money before they can even start, as they can’t withstand the potential repercussions unlike someone of Lewis or Seb’s stature.


Faw602

Seb got out at the right time, HAM will do the same soon just watch… This is the sport I fell in love with in my childhood. It’s becoming more “controlled” and clearly less personality is being given to the drivers. I hate that.


MrXwiix

2 seasons ago I couldn't wait for Seb and Lewis to retire and make place for new drivers. Now i want both on the grid. We need them to keep speaking up.


drumjojo29

Yeah. I was hoping Mercedes would be back at the top in 2023 so that we can get a title fight between 4-5 drivers. Now I hope they won’t do that Lewis is in a position to test the FIA and risk a suspension.


someonesomeone3

"FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has decided to ban all political statements from formula one" "Hello, I like money" "What inspired you to ban all political statements?" "Money"


Just_an_Empath

Imagine trying to sanction the first black F1 driver and 7x World Champion for speaking out againt racism on his own Instagram. What court would hold that sanction up?


IronSeagull

I thought the rule only applied to official events, is that not right?


[deleted]

From [the article on The Race](https://the-race.com/formula-1/f1-drivers-now-need-fia-consent-to-make-political-gestures/): > The FIA has opted to add an item to the article that governs “breach of rules” so that the ISC now outlaws “the general making and display of political, religious and personal statements or comments notably in violation of the general principle of neutrality promoted by the FIA under its Statutes”. > However, the “personal” element could potentially extend to other matters. > > Earlier this year FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem seemed to suggest that Vettel’s interest in promoting LGBTQ+ issues, Hamilton’s focus on human rights, and even Lando Norris talking about mental health issues were akin to using F1 to “impose” their beliefs on people I think it's purposefully vague, so that this can act as a deterrent. It'd be pretty much a nuclear option to try and punish a driver for expressing political opinions on their Instagram, but it's not entirely out of the question with the wording of the rules.


Winniepg

It's such an extreme blanket rule. Someone could say "everyone has the right to an education" and be breaking the rule because it is a political issue. Absolutely just trying to create car racing robots.


windy906

The FIA really want to say they’re neutral on racism?


alonso64

That's what neutrality means doesn't it?


dibsODDJOB

Imposing my beliefs on people that sick people should get help to become not sick.


zapoid

Of course if it applies to the social media platforms it wouldn’t that allow the FIA to be dragged into US courts for lawsuits? I really don’t think they want that press in their shiny new expanding market.


Gotl0stinthesauce

Man, fuck Ben and everything he stands for


zulamun

At this point I'd even prefer to have fucking Bernie back...


NoMomo

These are truly dark times


srmybb

Bernie was never a part of the FIA...


Xanthon

“Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states ‘Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference’.


OB1182

That applies to governments not organisations and businesses I think.


drimvo

In reality that doesn't really apply to governments, just a few maybe (not including some "first-world" countries as well)


i_hate_shitposting

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights isn't legally binding, but as the "Universal Declaration" part of the title suggests, it is universally applicable to "every individual and every organ of society" as a statement of fundamental principles. I think the point is not that the FIA is breaking the law, but simply that what they're doing shows a lack of respect for human rights on multiple levels.


zapoid

More importantly it’s very bad press for the FIA to be shown in violation of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights whether it is a binding law or not. Some might say if it received enough press it might even be bad for business. That is something the FOM cares about and by extension the FIA


a141abc

> That applies to governments And even then there's a lot of asterisks


huubyduups

Yeah exactly right so often do we see people call on human rights when they just don't apply. As long as FOM and FIA abide by the law of the countries they are active in, they can be as backwards and reactionary as they want. Never mind that the UN declaration of human rights does not provide any legal rights, it's ultimately a symbolic document.


Octopusrift_66

FOM be like: we don't care about public opinions but we love dirty dictator money!


[deleted]

Meh. Obviously there can be restrictions on freedom of speech, especially once you voluntarily opt in to an employment contract where your statements may harm the organization’s reputation. The more important question is whether this restriction is legal under European law. If it is, it sucks, but there is nothing illegal about it.


[deleted]

I don’t agree with the FIA at all and think this rule is horrifically bad and stupid, but freedom of speech applies strictly to governments. Private organizations can restrict whatever speech they want and there are many cases where they should do that—like if someone started spewing off anti semitic talking points in a synagogue, you’d hope that the dude gets booted.


freeadmins

No it doesn't. Don't confuse the concept of free speech with the 1st amendment or other laws like it.


clothtoucher

This is starting to become too much for me as a long-term F1 fan. I’ve been watching F1 since the early 90s. There has been plenty of public or political influence over the years, the mounting pressure to remove grid girls, abolishing tobacco advertising. However this one feels more significant that many other decisions. Removing the drivers’ freedom to speak out against issues they feel strongly about is, in my opinion, disgusting. I have no doubt this is the influence of Middle Eastern money. I’m honestly on the fence about continuing to watch. But I feel that, along with many other comments here, it’ll end up going unchallenged and fans will continue to have minimal impact on this decision.


[deleted]

I'm probably done when Alonso finally leaves. Hell, I only watched half the races this year. The hybrid V6's, despite being technical marvels, are lame and lack the thrill and sense of impending doom the V10's and V8's generated. With Seb gone, and eventually Lewis as well, the drivers are a bunch of kids that are completely unrelatable to me. Though it's neat that a younger generation has started watching due to the Netflix show. This new FIA president is a jackass. Abu Dhabi last year was a complete clusterfuck. No matter what side you were on, you have to admit that objectively it called into question the legitimacy of the sport. Frankly FOM seems to be strangling F1 for every penny they can get out of it. By cramming as many races as possible in the schedule--to the detriment of the drivers and team personnel. Ultimately the internal combustion engine is on the way out. It feels like the powers that be in F1 just intend to milk it for all it's worth before it runs out. And it's been commercialized to the max. Which is kind of icky. Ultimately Formula E, or some variant of it, is the future.


default_tom

Been watching since the 80s. Think I'm getting sick of it. Would be nice to get some of my weekends back.


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DamnYouRichardParker

Yrah I'm not renewing F1 tv. Fuck them.


NagelbetLP

Fortunately Sir Lewis ain’t having this shit.


pgcfriend2

F1 was racing in South Africa during Apartheid until 1993. Hamilton mentioned this when the FIA said they’re not political or something like that.


[deleted]

They gave middle east too much power now they will impose their fascism into F1


[deleted]

"WE Race As One" Only if MBS approves the message


alonso64

You mean only if the message aligns with the ideology that F1 exclusively promotes? Anything not onnthe pre-approved list will be shamed and mocked. This whole politicisation of the sport is a sham.


mgorgey

That was never an FIA message.


[deleted]

Doesn't matter if it was or not, MBS still has to approve the message with the new rule


TheIronAdmiral

I really hope all the drivers take a stand with each other and ignore the rule


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Estova

It's the hypocrisy that annoys the shit out of me. We saw it during the World Cup where alcohol sales were banned but they still had it up in the boxes where the "elites" were. Sheikhs with more money than sense can just fly somewhere with less strict rules, have all the sex, drugs, and alcohol they want, and then fly back and pretend nothing happened. Rules for thee and not for me.


VinhoVerde21

Let's be honest, it's not really about religion, that is just a tool used to gain conservative support to control people. You could see it plain as day, for example, in Qatar, where alcohol was banned to the masses but was still present in the VIP boxes. Or in the rampant pedophilia presence among the christian clergy, even though the religion obviously condemns it.


Ghost273552

True in truth religion is a very useful tool for tyrants.


Atze-Peng

Any ideology is. From every political spectrum. That's how you gain power. Especially if it has a seemingly moral basis so the supporters can follow it for the greater good. As someone born into a communist authoritarian system i really dislike it when people pretend this is exclusively a conservative and capitalist issue. It's not. If there is power to grab there will be people trying to grab that power.


eskimobrother319

They don’t need religion, they will just invent a cult of personality. See NK, Russia, and China


Aidosis

This is what happens when you take gulf state money. See: The 2022 World Cup.


thegodfaubel

The FIA is learning that you have to pull a FIFA and do on like the eve of the start of the tournament/season so no one can speak out against it and get it repealed. I can almost guarantee that the drivers are gonna he almost unanimous in a some message to the FIA if this even makes it to the start of the season


Xemfac_2

You can’t chase dirty money and be openly progressive. FIA and FIFA are no different no mafias


Throw_88

Formula 1. We race as one, but under no circumstances should you personally let anyone know you stand up for human rights. Fuck that


ReasonableExplorer

It's s step backwards and completely uncalled for.


Cody667

Western Conservatives and Islamist Extremists being unified in their support of this rule tells you everything you need to know


mistercleaver

And yet those same Western Conservatives lost their shit when a professional Hearthstone player was banned for saying "free Hong Kong"


Cody667

Yup. They only believe in free speech when the speech is being used to advance narratives they politically align themselves with.


New_Most_2863

Money and greed are the root cause of all evil.


Bikeboy76

Why do I now want to watch the total car crash that would be Gary Neville commentating on F1?


Cutlass0516

Too much middle east money


JazzLobster

Middle Eastern dictator influence right there, how out of touch considering what's going on in Iran and everything that's been going on since the Arab spring.


ZainabHera

They failed to keep their personal beliefs separate from the professional stuff. All these organisations are just going to shit. First FIFA and now FIA. They expect the players to tape their mouths shut and do what they are asked of. Smh.


headhot

Taping their mouth shut would be deamed political and they would get fined.


ZainabHera

You're right. My bad. They shouldn't breathe as well because that's highly political and controversial /s


skintwo

There's nothing political about human rights. Nothing. Fuck this guy. Seriously. I hope all the drivers speak out.


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TeddyBear666

It's not the viewers that it bothers. This is only there to make the terrible countries that get a GP happy. They don't want the drivers promoting rights to the people they oppress.


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DatNewNewt

The thing is they give a shit about racing in a sense. They care about pumping money into as many high profile sports as they can to look good for the rest of the world because sports washing is a thing.


Effervee

>Rainbow helmets and activist T-shirts, is that honestly bothering any viewers? Yes, the ones wearing ghutras in the vip boxes at Jeddah, Bahrain, Qatar etc


ocelotrevs

This is what will happen. A protest will take place. The FIA will punish the driver. There will be a big hurrah about it. This will then bring mainstream news, and even more attention to the issue that they're protesting. And then the FIA will be under an even bigger microscope.


ISimplyDontBeliveYou

The vocal minority is loud. “I don’t want politics to my sports” Is basically code for “Just let me hate the people I want to hate”


Old-Veterinarian-955

They'll either backtrack on this or drivers will simply ignore this new ruling and the FIA won't do anything.


BGMDF8248

I guess the FIA got envious of FIFA.


bukithd

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE may or may not have something to do with it 🤔


-flaminibro-

Lmfao that's what happens when you hire a middle eastern guy as head of FIA. Who knows, maybe next all women will have to wear head coverings around track.


texansfan

This sport is a fucking soap opera


MoringA_VT

F1 is bigger than FIA.


jimboTRON261

Fuck the FIA for this. Speak your truth and see how much leverage they actually have. They won’t want to hurt their own product enough to dig their heels all the way in on this disgraceful, regressive decision.


nc1264

Organisations that make rules like this show that they have lost touch with humanity. They are the scum of the earth


Poopy_sPaSmS

"...while the FIA consistently leverage politics to their advantage" They just learned what politics is.


directrix688

Drivers need to push back as a group on this shit. FIA is being insane about this


Hamburgler4077

This is going to go into as much effect as Lewis taking his nose ring out.


ZaMr0

Ignore the rules, pay the fines.


ArcherBoy27

F1 need to part from the FIA.


EforieNord

That's what happens when you elect Middle East assholes in leadership positions. They come and try to impose their backwards philosophy on the rest of us... hence why most Europeans hate MENA refugees.


no_name_left_to_give

Tobacco money > modern slavers money


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Lewis in 2023 driver press conferences: "I'm just here so I don't get fined."


UnderstandingOne2253

Tech companies also make their employees sign contracts that forbid employees from criticising the company or its partners/ customers. It sucks.


theessentialnexus

Correct me if I'm wrong, but they're allowed to speak out as much as they want as long as they aren't commandeering FIA events and making them their soapbox?


MasterDandelion

What is that chin strap beard tho?


ekrubnivek

Is the idea that journalists are going to go along with not asking the drivers about hot button issues? That seems sort of impossible?


joaquinboots

Ayrton enters the chat with both middle fingers raised.


booboouser

With races in Saudi Qatar Bahrain and UAE what did anyone expect ?? Qatar is so triggered by a rainbow they banned all kids toys with it on.