F1 ignores human rights violations by its 1st GP in Saudi Arabia

Next Sunday (5), F1 will have a stage played in Saudi Arabia for the first time. It will be the debut of the partnership signed for the next ten years with the local government, which made the category become the target of a wave of criticism for associating with a country accused of constantly violating human rights.

The decision to run a race in the Middle East nation was not well accepted both inside and outside the sport’s paddock. Amnesty International was one of the first to speak out. He warned that promoting the event could divert attention from accusations that the government led by monarch Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, 85, is targeting.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman is accused of having the opposition journalist Jamal Khashoggi killed in 2018 inside the Saudi embassy in Istanbul.

The NGO Human Rights Watch argues that the holding of the GP should be conditional on the release of women who challenged the ban on driving in the country. “F1 is another sporting event in a growing series in Saudi Arabia that apparently aims to cover up the serious human rights abuses that are being practiced in the country,” the organization wrote.

Drivers like the English Lewis Hamilton, from Mercedes, and the German Sebastian Vettel, from Aston Martin, demonstrated against racing in countries that do not respect human rights.

None of this, however, was enough to deter Liberty Media, the American group that controls the category, from its idea of ​​holding the test. The plan had been enshrined since March 2020, when the Americans signed a ten-year contract with Saudi Aramco, the Saudi state-owned oil and natural gas giant.

It was the first global sponsorship agreement signed by Liberty since 2017, the year the group bought the championship then under the reins of Englishman Bernie Ecclestone. According to the website SportBusiness.com, F1 will receive from Saudi around US$ 40 million (R$ 224 million) per season.

To complete the project of using the category for the international promotion of Saudi Arabia, it was also necessary to build a racecourse. The chosen location was the city of Jeddah, which lies on the shores of the Red Sea. The works were completed only in the second half of last month.

The street track could be the place that will enshrine the Dutchman Max Verstappen, from Red Bull, as the newest world champion, depending on a combination of results involving the only opponent who can still take the title from him: Lewis Hamilton, from Mercedes —a race will be at 2:30 pm (Brasilia).

Taken to race in Saudi Arabia, the seven-time champion announced that he will again wear a helmet with the colors of the LGBTQIA+ flag, like what he did in the last stage, at the Qatar GP.

He also stated that the presence of the World Cup on Saudi soil must be an opportunity to shed light on the country’s problems. “As sports competitions go to these venues, they have a duty to bring these issues into focus. These venues need scrutiny. Equal rights is a serious issue,” he said.

Until 2018, Saudi Arabia did not allow women to drive. The release came after 30 years of claiming the Saudi monarchy. Previously, if a woman defied the ban, she could be sentenced to years in prison, fined and lashed. The argument for the hard line was that, at the wheel, they would be more exposed to sexual harassment and sin.

In this scenario, it was difficult for a young woman to dream of becoming a pilot. But that was the wish of Reema Juffali, 29, who in 2018 became the first Saudi woman to compete professionally in motorsport. She took her license as soon as the ban dropped.

In three years, Juffali has already been present in categories such as MRF Challenge 2000, F4 and F3 British. In the third category on the scale that can lead a driver to F1, the Saudi finished the last championship in 18th place, having fourth place as her best result of the year.

Due to her pioneering spirit, the main category in world motorsport invited her to be an ambassador for the Saudi Arabian GP. “I’m looking forward to taking part in the race weekend and I hope my story can be an inspiration to anyone thinking of following their dream,” said Juffali.

The path for Saudi women to freely pursue their dreams is still long in a country where the laws are so restrictive. Just remember that, months before the race, the Ministry of Sports released a “code of conduct and clothing” for those involved in the race.

In the document, in which there were more guidelines aimed at women than men, the local government vetoed, for example, the use of skirts, shorts or pieces that end above the knee, dresses with bare straps or opening in the back, clothes with transparency and tight.

After negative repercussions on the F1 teams, as well as criticism from the international press, the code was revoked. However, local women still need to follow the same rules, as do many other provisions that violate individual liberties in Saudi Arabia.