The International Automobile Federation (FIA) has announced an update to the International Sporting Code (CSI) that will ban political “statements” and “comments” from drivers in the name of the principle of neutrality in their competitions.
According to article 12.2 of the CSI, which talks about “breaching regulations”, the institution now considers as an infraction “the general formulation and demonstration of statements of a political, religious and personal nature, mainly due to violation of the principle of neutrality imposed by the FIA “, which regulates the Formula 1, Rally (WRC) and Endurance (WEC) world championships.
The new topic, which appeared for the first time in an update published on Monday (20) and was widely covered by the media the following day, also indicates that those who wish to carry out a position from January 2023 will need an “approval prior written approval from the FIA, for international competitions, or from the National Sporting Authority (ASN), for national tournaments within their jurisdiction”.
The authorities, however, did not detail which sanctions can be assigned in each case.
In recent years, several Formula 1 drivers have openly spoken out about different causes during Grands Prix, especially with messages on their clothing and helmets.
Known for his militancy and social and political awareness, Lewis Hamilton protested on the podium of the 2020 Tuscan GP by wearing a shirt with the words “Arrest the police who killed Breonna Taylor”, a young black woman murdered in her own apartment in the United States.
The act prompted the FIA ​​to revise its protocol rules at post-race ceremonies.
In 2021, the German Sebastian Vettel wore a shirt in defense of LGBTQIA+ rights at the Hungarian GP and, more recently, a helmet against oil exploration in Canada, during the race in the country in June 2022.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, an FIA spokesperson explained that “the CSI has been updated regarding the political neutrality of sport as a universal ethical principle fundamental to the Olympic Movement, enshrined in the Code of Ethics of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as well as as per the principle of universality of article 1.2”.
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