Shut up and drive!

[kptaylor]

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/how- ... /10413225/

News out that F1 plans to implement rules that make prior approval necessary before a political statement is made by drivers. Didn't work out well for FIFA so not sure it will work for F1. Not entirely sure it is needed and whether drivers should cooperate.

[GrizzleBoy]

The funny thing is that instead of the story being:

"<insert F1 driver> wears provocative shirt in protest of XYZ issue."

the stories will become:

"FIA blocks <insert F1 driver>`s request to bring attention to XYZ issue".

I don't see how the latter is a better outcome than the former for the FIA if its all about controlling the optics.

[TimW]

I wonder if the EU will have anything to say about an organisation limiting the freedom of speech. If F1 were a social network there would already be an investigation.

[proteus]

I wonder if the EU will have anything to say about an organisation limiting the freedom of speech. If F1 were a social network there would already be an investigation.

We have freedom of speech in Europe? What kind? As far as i know any critical thinking, which differs from woke agenda that we are being forced to accept in the last decade is prohibited. And i do really mean only about critical thinking without any actual hate speech or any kind of hate at all, just stating facts why some things aint working - which are making these people offended and those which are doubting them punished.

So my short answer to the name of this topic would be yes: Shut up and drive, and do your political/charity work outside of the track in your own free time.

Am i the only one who is getting tired of these fake good causes that celebrities are performing?
For example:
Everybody is so green these days, with jets, 10 cars in the garage, 5 homes in different continents, using tons of fuel travelling and sailing on their jachts??? In my whole life i wont make as much mess as one of these celebrities are producing in a year or two. And another piece of advice for all of them: If they have lets say 400 million dollars of assets/money, spend 390 first for charity/enviroment and then beg for money from common folks who earn their money much slower and harder. 10mil is more than enough to live a great life till the end. I am just not so naive anymore and tired of this PR fakeness.

[sosic2121]

I wonder if the EU will have anything to say about an organisation limiting the freedom of speech. If F1 were a social network there would already be an investigation.

We have freedom of speech in Europe? What kind? As far as i know any critical thinking, which differs from woke agenda that we are being forced to accept in the last decade is prohibited. And i do really mean only about critical thinking without any actual hate speech or any kind of hate at all, just stating facts why some things aint working - which are making these people offended and those which are doubting them punished.

So my short answer to the name of this topic would be yes: Shut up and drive, and do your political/charity work outside of the track in your own free time.

Am i the only one who is getting tired of these fake good causes that celebrities are performing?
For example:
Everybody is so green these days, with jets, 10 cars in the garage, 5 homes in different continents, using tons of fuel travelling and sailing on their jachts??? In my whole life i wont make as much mess as one of these celebrities are producing in a year or two. And another piece of advice for all of them: If they have lets say 400 million dollars of assets/money, spend 390 first for charity/enviroment and then beg for money from common folks who earn their money much slower and harder. 10mil is more than enough to live a great life till the end. I am just not so naive anymore and tired of this PR fakeness.

+1

[Edax]

This is a difficult one.

I have travelled quite a bit for work. I think my employer would have been less than pleased if I used these paid trips to highlight (social) injustices in the countries visited. And I think they have a right to ask that for me as they pay me to represent them.

Of course the drivers are not directly paid by F1, indirectly they are. I think that does give F1 them some leeway to demand behavior that does not undermine their business.

But on the other hand all companies have a social moral and environmental charter an can be held accountable. And frankly for F1 I have not seen these lofty goals materialize beyond the paper they are written on. So I can understand that as a driver you want to show responsibility.
https://www.fia.com/file/158426/download
https://corp.formula1.com/diversity-inclusion/

But if you look hard enough you can find arguments against just about every venue. So it every driver starts acting on what he feels is important that day you end up with a mess and an empty calendar.

In the end I feel that if the drivers want to promote their goals then they should not use F1 cameras to do that. And if they want to change F1 they should do that via their employer (the teams) and not in public. And otherwise they are free to look for other employment that better suit their moral disposition.

Just like everyone else.

[johnny comelately]

An important topic.
If one substitutes FIA into Robert de Niro's 2018 speech that becomes a synopsis of the situation.
It calls into question who should have the power in this Sport, rather than who has the power.
Here we see the influence of Liberty's capitalism (the background driver of Ben Sulayem's policy) over human rights.
Further enlightening reading in this one-off good article (of that publication)
https://formula1news.co.uk/lewis-hamilt ... ng-change/

[Jolle]

The FIA has a long history of raising a big middle finger to human rights and their moral obligation as a big global platform to take a stance. In fact, they are letting themselves been used as a golden ring for dictators.
They went racing in South Africa at the hight of apartheid. Even Marlboro didn’t want to be part of that.

[jordanb]

The FIA has a long history of raising a big middle finger to human rights and their moral obligation as a big global platform to take a stance. In fact, they are letting themselves been used as a golden ring for dictators.
They went racing in South Africa at the hight of apartheid. Even Marlboro didn’t want to be part of that.

Plus, they have been racing in UK and USA despite the humble contribution of these two in the destruction of middle east for the last few decades, leading to massive humanitarian crisis. Hypocrisy is when they backed off from racing in Russia for similar offence. Expecting anything different from the notorious FIA would be foolish.

[Andres125sx]

I wonder if the EU will have anything to say about an organisation limiting the freedom of speech. If F1 were a social network there would already be an investigation.

We have freedom of speech in Europe? What kind? As far as i know any critical thinking, which differs from woke agenda that we are being forced to accept in the last decade is prohibited. And i do really mean only about critical thinking without any actual hate speech or any kind of hate at all, just stating facts why some things aint working - which are making these people offended and those which are doubting them punished.

So my short answer to the name of this topic would be yes: Shut up and drive, and do your political/charity work outside of the track in your own free time.

Am i the only one who is getting tired of these fake good causes that celebrities are performing?
For example:
Everybody is so green these days, with jets, 10 cars in the garage, 5 homes in different continents, using tons of fuel travelling and sailing on their jachts??? In my whole life i wont make as much mess as one of these celebrities are producing in a year or two. And another piece of advice for all of them: If they have lets say 400 million dollars of assets/money, spend 390 first for charity/enviroment and then beg for money from common folks who earn their money much slower and harder. 10mil is more than enough to live a great life till the end. I am just not so naive anymore and tired of this PR fakeness.

Yes we have freedom in Europe. Where do you live and what freedom limitation do you have? Fair question


Completely agree about the rest of the post. Modern world is so fake people with private jets show theirselves green because they´ve purchased a Prius... wich they never use, what is even more contradictory.

But the worst part is many many people accept this hipocresy and fakeness, today people only think about if they like him/her or not, it doesn´t matter what they do, if they like him/her they´ll defend him/her, if not they´ll bash him/her, no matter what they are doing

[tpe]

This is a difficult one.

I have travelled quite a bit for work. I think my employer would have been less than pleased if I used these paid trips to highlight (social) injustices in the countries visited. And I think they have a right to ask that for me as they pay me to represent them.

Of course the drivers are not directly paid by F1, indirectly they are. I think that does give F1 them some leeway to demand behavior that does not undermine their business.

But on the other hand all companies have a social moral and environmental charter an can be held accountable. And frankly for F1 I have not seen these lofty goals materialize beyond the paper they are written on. So I can understand that as a driver you want to show responsibility.
https://www.fia.com/file/158426/download
https://corp.formula1.com/diversity-inclusion/

But if you look hard enough you can find arguments against just about every venue. So it every driver starts acting on what he feels is important that day you end up with a mess and an empty calendar.

In the end I feel that if the drivers want to promote their goals then they should not use F1 cameras to do that. And if they want to change F1 they should do that via their employer (the teams) and not in public. And otherwise they are free to look for other employment that better suit their moral disposition.

Just like everyone else.

The only sensible answer so far.
Political statements should not be part of any working environment. But I guess only a couple of us see it this way.

[johnny comelately]

Drivers are contracted not employed, that does change the dynamics.
And they are contracted with the team not the FIA (see the Robert de Niro speech)

[hollus]

How is that contract different from fixed-term employment?

[wesley123]

The only sensible answer so far.
Political statements should not be part of any working environment. But I guess only a couple of us see it this way.

statements should be part of a working environment, as money talks. Now it is just a very few individuals that try to bring change, which they can't.

And let's not start on how literally none of the issues raised by Hamilton and Vettel(who, let's be honest, are the sole ones who even dared to raise awareness) were political in any way. There's nothing political about your sexual orientation or gender, there is nothing political about wanting a habitable planet for future generations, there is nothing political about being against discrimination.

It's not surprising that this regulation comes after the sport is increasingly getting influenced by countries who see human rights as a joke and its president comes from one of the biggest offending countries on this planet.

[GrizzleBoy]

The only sensible answer so far.
Political statements should not be part of any working environment. But I guess only a couple of us see it this way.

statements should be part of a working environment, as money talks. Now it is just a very few individuals that try to bring change, which they can't.

And let's not start on how literally none of the issues raised by Hamilton and Vettel(who, let's be honest, are the sole ones who even dared to raise awareness) were political in any way. There's nothing political about your sexual orientation or gender, there is nothing political about wanting a habitable planet for future generations, there is nothing political about being against discrimination.

It's not surprising that this regulation comes after the sport is increasingly getting influenced by countries who see human rights as a joke and its president comes from one of the biggest offending countries on this planet.

None of those things would be political in an IDEAL world, but they unfortunately are because not everyone thinks all people are or should be equal, or that earth's future is more important than the balance in their current account.

And the only way to change those things in any direction is politics and political discussion.