by F1 president Stefano Domenicali says he has no interest in restricting free speech in the series and expects the FIA to clarify its position.
The FIA is facing a growing number of disgruntled Formula 1 drivers after it introduced a ruling that henceforth anyone turning up at an FIA-sanctioned event would need their prior permission before making any political or religious statements.
Lewis Hamilton and the now-retired Sebastian Vettel have been at the forefront of a growing trend of drivers using their platform to talk in recent years, but the ruling appears to put a damper on such actions, while Alex Albon said it appears a U-twist on Formula 1’s ‘We Race as One’ message in pursuit of equality.
However, it seems that Formula 1 has no interest in dampening what can and cannot be said, with series president Domenicali declaring that there will not be a “gag” against anyone.
“F1 will never gag anyone,” Domenicali told The Guardian. “Everyone wants to speak out so to have the platform to say what they want in the right way, the better.
“We have a huge opportunity due to the position of our sport which is increasingly global, multicultural and multivalued.
“We are talking about 20 riders, 10 teams and many sponsors, they have different ideas, different visions. I can’t say one is right, one is wrong, but it is right, if necessary, to offer them a platform to discuss their views openly.
“We are not going to change this approach as a sport. This should be the line of our sport, to give everyone the opportunity to speak in the right way, not in aggressive tones or to offend but with respect.
“We continue to monitor the situation, we keep the drivers informed, we meet with the Grand Prix drivers associations to discuss it, how we can enable the drivers to be open as human beings in our sport. Athletes can be very emotional and passionate about some things and need to discuss them constructively with people they trust.”
That said, Domenicali is giving the FIA the benefit of the doubt and believes the governing body will eventually clarify its decision and allow Formula 1 staff to continue to use their voices on matters close to their hearts.
“We are talking about a regulation and the regulator is the FIA,” said Domenicali. “I think the FIA will clarify what has been said, in terms of respecting certain places where you can’t do it.
“I’m sure the FIA will share the same view as F1, but they are part of an Olympic federation so there are protocols they have to abide by.”
PlanetF1.com recommends
FIA vs F1 described as ‘open war’ with ‘borderline’ relationship
Five ideal candidates to replace Sebastian Vettel at the helm of the GPDA
F1 2023 Liveries: See all the new season looks as they are revealed
The FIA must offer this clarity as soon as possible
This has not been a quiet off-season by any stretch of the imagination, but much of the drama has come from this apparent power struggle between the FIA and Formula One management, with this political crackdown only adding further fuel to the fire. .
Vettel, Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Zhou Guanyu, Alex Albon, the list of drivers voicing their concerns about the ruling is already quite long, but a common theme is that drivers want clarity on exactly what it means.
And this is where the FIA is surprisingly allowing the situation to rumble, rather than coming out with a statement to directly address the confusion.
It would make sense for them to provide this clarity as soon as possible as the 2023 Formula 1 season approaches.
