Lewis Hamilton has always been at the forefront of the fight against racism in the Formula One Community. He is a well-known face all around the world as he is the most successful racer in F1 Motorsport history. Hence whatever he does gets a lot of public attention. Before every race at the weekends, Hamilton asks his fellow drivers to kneel down with him as a mark of protest. After the assassination of George Floyd, the F1 community decided to show support for the Floyd family, with every driver wearing a t-shirt with the lines written, “Fight against Racism.”
But Lewis Hamilton decided to go a little deeper as he wore a t-shirt saying the signs, “Black Lives Matter.” The seven-time champion did not even tell his own team about doing so and surprised everybody. FIA has been noticing for a long time and decided to take a step to put an end to these campaigns on the track.
New FIA Policy To Target Lewis Hamilton
The FIA came up with a new law stating that drivers won’t be allowed to make any religious or political statements regarding such delicate issues on the F1 grid. Article 12.2.1.n has created considerable controversy among fans and media experts. Needless to say, the drivers are not too thrilled. As many drivers like Hamilton, Verstappen, Sergio Perez, and a few more have publicly expressed their discontent on article 12.2.1.n.
Many fans and experts believe this article is specially made to stop Hamilton and his campaigns. Many influential individuals and organizations have shown support for Sir Lewis Hamilton. People have been expecting FIA would remove article 12.2.1.n but something very opposite happened to that. The governing body has provided some clarifications to prove why article 12.2.1.n is very important.
Rules Of The FIA Free Speech Guidelines
According to FIA released Free Speech Guidelines, “this law is vital to maintain neutrality in the sport as Formula One is famous worldwide. People from diverse origins and cultures follow the sport. However, these political or religious statements on the race track may not be relatable for all these people of different cultures.” The governing body proceeded with their clarifications mentioning that the drivers are free to express their political and religious views on any accredited media platforms. But the drivers should not make any such statements outside the race tracks during international events.
Social Media, Television, or any digital media interviews with accredited journalists will not violate the laws of article 12.2.1.n. Any gestures like pointing to the sky or the drivers crossing themselves will not upset the particular lawmakers. Religious clothing is also acceptable. However, no form of images, symbols, words, or actions that are political or religious in nature can the drivers use as tools.
Especially during press conferences, pre, and post-race procedures, also any such activities on track. For such violations, punishments include fines, grid penalties, warnings, suspensions, and exclusions. In case of an emergency, drivers can take permission from FIA via written requests. It has to be about four weeks before such an event. All these guidelines bring up the question, how will Lewis Hamilton tackle this issue now?