Drivers told not to use FIA platform for ‘personal agenda’ by president Mohammed Ben Sulayem

“One thing we don’t want is the FIA ​​as a platform for personal agendas”; president Mohammad Ben Sulayem wants the FIA ​​to be “neutral” and drivers will break the rules if they make “political, religious and personal statements” without permission from next season

Lewis Hamilton wears a rainbow helmet during the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix

Formula One drivers should not use the platform provided by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) to make statements about their own “personal agenda”, the sporting body’s president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said on Tuesday.

Formula One drivers will need prior written permission from the sport’s governing body to make “political, religious and personal statements” from next season following an update to the International Sporting Code.

Unless the FIA ​​gives its approval in writing, drivers who make such statements will now be in breach of the rules.

“We are concerned with building bridges. You can use sports for peaceful reasons… But one thing we don’t want is to have the FIA ​​as a platform for personal agendas,” Ben Sulayem told reporters.

“We’re going to switch from sports. What’s the best thing a driver does? Driving. He’s very good at it, and he makes a business, he makes a show, he’s a star. Nothing stops him.

“There is another platform to express what you want. Everyone has this and is very happy to go through the FIA ​​process, to go through.”

Former champions Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel are among the high-profile drivers who have made such a statement in the new season.

Hamilton has stood up for human rights and racial equality while also addressing LGBTQ rights in conservative countries like Saudi Arabia which has held two races since 2021.

Vettel, who retired last year, has highlighted issues from LGBTQ rights to climate change.

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Aston Martin’s former head of racing strategy, Bernie Collins, recalls his experience working with Sebastian Vettel, when the four-time world champion retired from the sport.

Ben Sulayem rejects the notion that the FIA ​​kills drivers, saying he wanted to “improve and clean up” the sport.

“I have my own personal stuff, OK, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to use the FIA ​​to do it,” said Ben Sulayem, a former rally driver from the United Arab Emirates.

“The FIA ​​should be neutral, I believe. We need superstars to make the sport.

“If something happens, you ask for permission. If not, if they make another mistake, like speeding in the pit lane. If you do, it’s very clear what you get.”