No more political statements for F1 drivers

No more political statements for F1 drivers

Formula One drivers will no longer be able to make any political statements unless they receive specific written permission to do so.

FIA, the governing federation of Formula One and other racing series, has updated its International Sporting Code for the 2023 season. The updates included a new article that stated political, religious, and personal statements will require written approval moving forward.

📰: A ban has been imposed on F1 drivers from making political statements without the permission of the FIA.
As of now,failure to follow the instructions of the new FIA regulations is considered a rule violation.#F1 pic.twitter.com/wjuq34qXmh
— F1 Naija 🇳🇬 (@f1_naija) December 20, 2022

Drivers have been known to make political statements through their clothes in past years, this includes driver Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time Formula One champion, who wore a T-shirt that said “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor” in 2020.

Formula One's governing body, the FIA, is investigating Lewis Hamilton's T-shirt in support of Breonna Taylor that he wore on the podium at the #TuscanGP #F1 (Pic: AP) https://t.co/h5kcNy4onn pic.twitter.com/9AD4HpKkBD
— ABC SPORT (@abcsport) September 14, 2020

Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel wore a rainbow-colored shirt with “Same Love” printed on the front in 2021.

Sebastian Vettel summoned to stewards for not taking off his rainbow shirt during the national anthems.

"They can disqualify me. They can do whatever they want to me, I don’t care. I would do it again."

Seb ❤️ #F1 pic.twitter.com/rmz3ZrMx99
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) August 1, 2021

These types of rule changes are not uncommon for the FIA. Before 2022, it had implemented rules regarding the kind of jewelry that drivers can and cannot wear.

As with any rule change, it was met with a mix of criticism and support. Those who oppose the new rule claimed that the FIA had no authority to take away that right from drivers, while supporters claimed that political opinions do not belong in the sports.