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Perez not comfortable with FIA's crackdown on activism

NEWS STORY
04/02/2023

Sergio Perez is the latest driver to hit out at the FIA's decision to crack down on drivers expressing their personal opinions about things other than racing.

In late December, an update to the FIA's International Sporting Code means that from now on drivers will now need to obtain written permission before making any form of political statement.

While Zak Brown (sigh) wasted no time in voicing his support for the move, this appeares to be at odds from the general feeling within the sport that the FIA is effectively seeking to gag drivers.

It was during the 2020 season, as F1 struggled to put together a revised schedule, that Lewis Hamilton first brought his activism to the grid, initially by wearing a T-Shirt in support of Black Lives Matter and subsequently throwing his weight behind a number of other controversial causes.

As broadcasters jumped on the bandwagon, F1 gave permission for drivers to show their support for various causes before races, however Hamilton's T-Shirt at Mugello - which sported the slogan: 'Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor' on the front and 'Say Her Name' on the back in reference to the black woman killed by police earlier in the year - saw the FIA take action by demanding that at all future races drivers wear their overalls zipped up to the neck.

Amidst fears that drivers will increasingly use the sport's new found popularity to support all manner of causes, the FIA clearly decided it was time to act, and while the matter is unlikely to be discussed by the drivers until the season gets underway, Sergio Perez, for one, isn't happy.

"We haven't discussed it with the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers' Association)," he told members of the media at the reveal of the RB19, "but it's something that we don't feel comfortable with because we want to be ourselves and we want to be able to express ourselves in any way that we want.

"We all have different views, different beliefs in religion," he added, "I get the political side but we all should be free to express ourselves the way we want.

"I just struggle to think that they will be able to control what you are able to say or not to say. That to me is not correct. But we will discuss that."

Earlier in the week, Valtteri Bottas expressed similar sentiments.

"I think everybody should be allowed to say what they want and do more things that they want or have passion for," the Alfa Romeo driver told Sky Sports.

"People in this world should be free to say what they want," he added. "In a way, I don't see the need for that kind of thing to be in the rules but if you take it politically, let's say from F1's side or the organiser's side of a race, they want everything to go smoothly.

"But normally when we've been speaking it's to try and make the world a better place. That's my view. I don't think it's necessary, but that's Formula 1."

The Finn's claim that "everybody should be allowed to say what they want" is somewhat ironic at a time when, in an obvious attempt to oust the sitting FIA president, comments he posted on his personal website over twenty years ago are being used to beat him with.

And while the likes of Perez, Bottas and the rest may feel they have something to say, what on earth makes them think that the fans want to hear it.

It's bad enough that stars of the music, TV and movie industries are determined to express their beliefs at the drop of a hat, but the fact is that most people who tune in over the course of a race weekend are there for the on-track action not to be lectured to, especially when most of the lecturing comes from the inhabitants of a planet far removed from the stark reality of the lives of those being lectured.

Last year, Sebastian Vettel was forced to admit that it is somewhat hypocritical of him to be echoing the gospel of Greta Thunberg when he had made his fortune driving cars powered by fossil fuels. And while F1 dishes out numerous press releases relating to Net-Zero and the rest, the fact is that the entire circus is ferried around the world - and not using the most environmentally route - using trucks, aircraft and ships that are totally at odds with its claims.

Activism has become an industry, and one only has to look at the vast corporations that have jumped aboard the various causes to realise this.

Aa Perez rightly says, "we all have different views, different beliefs", but that doesn't mean you need to share them, far less impose them, because, sadly, in the current climate that appears to be the objective, with the so-called 'elite' forever telling the rest of us that we're wrong and we're bad as a result.

And anyone who doesn’t agree with this is a...

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READERS COMMENTS

 

1. Posted by kenji, 06/02/2023 23:07

"@ Brighton Corgi....Given the proliferance of the 'cancel culture' your comment can be classified as 'brave' haha"

Rating: Positive (1)     Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

2. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 06/02/2023 14:01

"I am glad the FIA took off their skirt. "

Rating: Positive (2)     Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

3. Posted by equator180, 06/02/2023 9:49

"I am in the camp of support for the F1 ruling. We all know what started this, and personally I found it insulting to force your beliefs down my throat and refused to watch during the ridiculous performance. The drivers can follow and support any cause they want, I have no problem with that but I reserve the right to choose, I watch the event for racing not political postering."

Rating: Positive (5)     Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

4. Posted by Simon in Adelaide, 06/02/2023 7:09

"The drivers are free to do whatever they like outside of the perimeter fence to the Grand Prix venue; once inside they are bound by the rules of the FIA.

This situation is no different to a whole range of other sporting events or tournaments whose participants abide by the rules of the organising body."

Rating: Positive (4)     Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

5. Posted by Paulinho, 05/02/2023 8:55

"Going back a few years ago I can remember the cars having tobacco sponsorship on them, the then government decided that this was bad, and that it would be banned. Oddly back in the mid 80's I fell in love with the red and white cars, but I've never smoked. "

Rating: Positive (2)     Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

6. Posted by BillH, 05/02/2023 0:47

"Well I for one am outraged!
I don’t know what about right now however given time I’m sure to be offended by something. 😉"

Rating: Positive (2)     Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

7. Posted by kenji, 05/02/2023 0:31

"This whole issue is a beat up and I applaud the FIA for their stance. The drivers are free to say/do whatever they like..... outside of an F1 event. It's bad enough being battered day in day out by minority activists beating their drums incessantly. F1 should be totally free of political woke posturing by all who participate on the day. They can afford to hold their own rallies whatever...will they? No, because it's highly likely that no one would turn up so they will just try to abuse their standing by riding on the back of F1. I pay a hefty sum to watch F1 and I will not accept having these opinions intruding on my time. Hopefully the FIA will ride out this latest latest storm and take serious action if any driver dares to contest the issue. "

Rating: Positive (6)     Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

8. Posted by alvarezh3, 04/02/2023 21:45

"@ Mad Max

It's my understanding there is nothing stoping any team member from expressing their views in any topic they are asked in, for example, an interview.

What has been banned are public expressions of protests specially on political or social subject matters, on banners, wearables or any form of public body posture to insinuate a protest while in the premises during a F1 event.

For public information, radio amateurs IN ALL COUNTRIES are banned from any form of conversations in the following topics: politics, religion and business. Anyone braking that rule could ultimately have their license revoked. That is a real gag and everyone complies without making the rule a reason to complain and/or protest against.

Just as the amateur air waves are not considered to be the place for the above prohibited conversations, the owners or promoters of a sporting event or venue have the right to control what type of activities are allowed in their premises while they hold legal control over it.

If a person or a group of persons wants to organize a protest on a sporting event or venue, they have the right to organize their own sporting activity or rent the venue for such purpose. No one has a right to impose its personal wishes, actions or rules over an event or venue they have no legal right to."

Rating: Positive (4)     Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

9. Posted by The Canadian, 04/02/2023 20:14

"I don't want my entertainers to lecture me on anything.... I enjoy the sport to forget all of that"

Rating: Positive (10)     Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

10. Posted by Mad Matt, 04/02/2023 17:57

"Have I misunderstood or is this a bit of a straw man argument? As far as I know they can say whatever they want outside of an F1 circuit and GP weekend."

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11. Posted by elsiebc, 04/02/2023 17:50

"PS: Hey Serge, since you think my country should let everyone walk right in, what would happen when I'm in Montreal in June if I just try to go back into the paddock and into your motorhome? How many times would I be stopped before I'm forcefully ejected from the island?"

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12. Posted by elsiebc, 04/02/2023 17:46

"Let them speak. And when I learn that there are more drivers that are hypocritical fools that annoy me than there are good folk it will be very easy for me to leave F1 behind and switch to following a different series. Imsa sports cars don't penalize every last questionable on track move, but they are way too eager to throw full course yellows. But given a couple more seasons..."

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13. Posted by Spindoctor, 04/02/2023 16:08

"I have no problem with the "sharing" of views & rarely feel that any driver has "imposed" theirs on me. As is pointed-out the World's mega corps & FIA will waste no opportunity to push their fake green\woke credentials\intentions down our throats at every Race, drowning out any opinions drivers might have wanted to share."

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14. Posted by Motorsport-fan, 04/02/2023 15:13

"Have to agree with final paragraphs here. "

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