McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown believes the FIA made the right decision to restrict drivers’ political activism.
In recent years, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have been outspoken on a range of global issues, including inequality, social justice and the environment.
The death of George Floyd, a black man, in 2020 sparked ‘Black Lives Matter’ around the world, and F1 followed suit with its ‘We Race As One’ campaign.
The initiative saw some drivers kneel before each race, inspired by the actions of former NFL player Colin Kaepernick in 2016.
On the podium of the F1 Tuscan Grand Prix two years ago, Lewis Hamilton wore a t-shirt calling for the arrest of the police officer who killed Breonna Taylor at his home in Louisville. The wearing of unapproved apparel at podium ceremonies has been banned following statements by seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton. Four current and former police officers have since been charged in Taylor’s death.
Sebastian Vettel was reprimanded for wearing a rainbow shirt embodying ‘Same Love’ during the national anthem during last season’s Hungarian Grand Prix in protest against the country’s anti-LGBT laws.
But both drivers remain unfazed and continue to use their platforms to raise awareness of some issues close to their hearts.
F1’s deals with Qatar and Saudi Arabia, where gays could be put to death, have seen no shortage of backlash since they arrived on the calendar. Earlier this year, there was further criticism of the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where a missile attack took place miles away from the Jeddah Corniche circuit.
The FIA has recently tweaked its regulations to ban drivers from being politically active, but they can still make some statements with the permission of the governing bodies.
The move hasn’t worked out for everyone, but Brown said that showing conviction during race weekends isn’t necessarily ‘healthy’ for drivers.
“It’s hard. Some topics are really good, some are controversial, some are polarizing,” Zak Brown told ESPN.
“Generally, we want to be a sport that is doing good. We need to find a balance there and every start of a race should not become a new political challenge for anyone. I think it’s not healthy because it could spoil what everyone who wants to see the Grand Prix is listening to.”
Zak Brown is pleased that there is still some room for drivers to express themselves in public within the confines of the F1 paddock.
“I’m glad that the door is open for drivers and teams to talk to the FIA if there are issues they want to discuss. It’s not ‘you can’t do it’. I can’t.’ So at least the door is open,” explained Zak Brown.
“Everyone is allowed free speech. With so many messages flying around, it was sometimes out of control…wouldn’t that undermine the focus of the sport?”
“I think the FIA has the right to say, within Formula 1, a code of conduct that it expects to be followed during a grand prix weekend, as drivers can do such things on their own time.”
“So to speak, from Monday to Friday you are free to do whatever you want, but clearly the weekends of the Grand Prix are where the drivers have the most cameras.”
The recent World Cup in Qatar was greeted with its own anger due to the alleged deaths and abusive treatment of migrant workers, and the country’s general human rights record.
Teams were banned from wearing ‘One Love’ armbands, and any display of a rainbow flag was strictly enforced.
Zak Brown believes that off-pitch controversy may have contributed to the recent changes made by the FIA.
“I don’t know what triggered it. I don’t know if it came out of the World Cup and was a big topic there,” reasoned Zak Brown.
“Politics is inherently tricky. Perhaps what they are trying to avoid at the macro level is to prevent F1 from becoming a political hotbed for a range of topics. But for some of these topics: There are things that are cursed whether you do it or not.”
“I think that’s what we’re trying to avoid: ‘Let’s not turn F1 into a political sport. Let’s go racing and respect where we’re racing’.”
“There is no one-size-fits-all in this world for political parties or political agendas, so I think there is a good way for all teams and drivers to be able to communicate their values in an uncontroversial way. ”
“These are becoming hot topics in all sports. In the NFL, it started with kneeling. In Qatar, there was the armband issue. I think they can start to deviate from the sport. , we need to find the right balance there.”
