14/02/2023
NEWS STORY
Lando Norris is the latest driver to speak out over the FIA's decision to clamp down on activism on race weekends.
The one thing that every car and livery reveal has had in common this season - other than the unwillingness to give any real insight into what we are seeing - is the drivers using the opportunity to speak out over the update to the International Sporting Code that will require them to seek permission from the FIA before making any sort of politically driven statement over race weekends.
Despite F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali insisting that drivers will not be gagged, Lando Norris used the opportunity of tonight's unveiling of the MCL60 to voice his fears.
"We're not in a school," he said. "We shouldn't have to ask about everything and say 'can we do this, can we do that?'
"I think we're grown up enough to try and make smart decisions," he added.
"Maybe sometimes people make silly decisions," he admitted, "but that happens in life. I think there are enough drivers to have said things now to push back a little bit.
"I think it's still very important that it's clear as drivers we can still voice our opinions. I don't think F1 should go in a direction with rules or the direction of limiting what we can do or say and influence us drivers because we are only wanting to do things for the best. We don't want to use it in any wrongdoing way. We are doing it because we have a lot of fans, millions of fans, millions of viewers, who we want to influence, guide and use to help, or to help them personally. We should have freedom of speech."
Like children with ride on kids cars dreaming of becoming racers, we too dream of a world where our voices are heard clearly and without restraint.
Asked, should the FIA persist with the ruling, whether he would be willing to speak out anyway, he replied: "I don't know what the penalty is. If it's a fine or something, I'm probably happy to break it, if it's a bit more, then not. It depends.
"At certain times there's things we're going to want to say, which maybe they don't allow, but I think it would only be a positive thing for whatever that circumstance is.
"I don't know 100 percent what the ruling is and how everything is going to happen, but I feel like there's been quite a lot of pressure and enough said to maybe make a little bit of a U-turn.
"F1 have made things clear with what they think is acceptable and what they think we should be able to do as drivers, and I guess that's what I stand by. I think we should be able to say what we want and what we believe in."
Of course, one would have thought that if he believed in an issue strongly enough, he would be willing to face the penalty, whatever it might be.
Check out our MCL60 gallery, here.