Motorsport’s apex governing body FIA have released new guidelines for all drivers across the various levels under its umbrella – Zak Brown backs the same.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has voiced his support for FIA’s latest clampdown on political statements. FIA has announced that drivers will be penalised for making political statements from the 2023 season onwards. The decision has received mixed reactions with many stating that it’s unfair to prevent freedom of speech but the FIA has received support from a few including the McLaren boss.
Brown believes that the FIA is right in deciding to clamp down on the use of political statements stating that it has gone ‘out of hand’ in recent years. In the recent past, F1 has witnessed a lot of incidents wherein drivers have expressed their opinion on numerous social issues and controversial topics through their costumes or gestures. One recent incident that comes to mind is at the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix when Lewis Hamilton put on a T-shirt that stated: “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor.” This was an issue which was under investigation by the concerned judiciary and Hamilton’s gesture certainly caused a stir.
What is the purpose of FIA’s ban on political statement?
The FIA has outlined updated guidelines for drivers, to be followed from the 2023 season. It has banned all drivers across levels including F1, from making any non-neutral “political, religious or personal” statements or comments without prior permission. The new regulation has been updated in FIA’s International Sporting Code.
The latest version of the rule book states: “Drivers will be deemed to have committed a breach of the rules if they show 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, unless previously approved in writing by the FIA for International Competitions, or by the relevant ASN for National Competitions within their jurisdiction.” The decision from FIA comes after a number of controversial gestures from F1 drivers over political issues in the last few years.
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