The International Automobile Federation (FIA) has announced that it will ban political “statements” and “comments” in the name of the principle of neutrality, in particular from drivers, in a revision of its International Sporting Code (CSI).
According to Article 12.2 of the CSI relating to “violations of the regulations”, the body now considers as an offense “the general formulation and display of political, religious and personal statements or comments, in particular in violation of the general principle of neutrality carried by the FIA”, which regulates in particular the World Championships of Formula 1, rallies (WRC) and endurance (WEC).
This new point, which appeared in an update published Monday on the FIA website and which several media echoed on Tuesday, also indicates that these positions will require from January 2023 the “prior written approval of the FIA for international competitions or of the ASN (the National Sports Authority, editor’s note) competent for national competitions under their jurisdiction”.
However, the nature of the sanctions was not specified.
In recent years, several Formula 1 drivers have openly taken a stand for a cause during Grands Prix, in particular by messages on their clothing or on their helmet.
In 2020, on the podium of the Grand Prix of Tuscany, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, for example, donned a t-shirt calling for “arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor”, a black woman killed by police in her apartment. in the USA.
This act had led the FIA to review its protocol rules during post-race ceremonies.
In 2021, the German Sebastian Vettel wore a t-shirt for the defense of homosexuals during the Hungarian Grand Prix and more recently, a helmet against the exploitation of the oil sands at the Canadian Grand Prix last June.