F1 returns without Russia, but with countries that violate human rights

Since taking control of F1 in 2016, the American group Liberty Media has started to implement a project to expand the category globally, returning to countries that hosted stages in the past and, above all, including new places.

For the 2022 season, the ambition was to make the biggest championship in history, with 23 races, but the plan had to be revised with the war started by Russia against Ukraine, about a month ago.

The category initially announced the suspension of the stage in Sochi, scheduled for September, but pressure from drivers, teams and, mainly, sponsors, led to the breach of the contract with the race promoter. “Which means Russia will not count on any stages in the future,” F1 reported.

As it has not announced any race as a substitute — although Qatar has expressed interest in hosting a GP —, the category should have 22 stages this year, as it did in 2021. The opening is scheduled for Sunday (20), with the Bahrain GP, at 12:00 (Brasília time). The Band broadcasts.

In addition to the race at the Sakhir circuit, F1 will also have stages in Singapore, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, countries often accused of violating human rights. Currently, the FIA ​​(International Automobile Federation) is chaired by Mohammed ben Sulayem, from the United Arab Emirates.

In a letter addressed to the category’s CEO, Stefano Domenicali, the Bird (Institute for Rights and Democracy in Bahrain) says that F1 does not pay the same attention to the problems of the Middle East as it did to the situation provoked by Russia on Ukrainian soil.

The text, written by Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, director of the institution, mentions the renewal of the contract with the organization of the Bahrain GP for another 15 years. According to him, the extension of this agreement “directly contradicts the statement made last year [por Domenicali] that F1 takes issues such as violence, human rights abuse and repression very seriously”.

In 2021, the category had also been criticized by Amnesty International on the occasion of the announcement of the Saudi Arabian GP. The human rights organization warned that promoting the event could divert attention from accusations that the government led by monarch Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, 85, is targeted.

None of that stopped Liberty from continuing its expansion plan in the Middle East, mainly because of the millions of dollars that the group started to earn from races in the region – only the sponsorship agreement with Saudi Aramco, the Saudi state-owned oil and natural gas, earns F1 around US$ 40 million (R$ 206 million) per season.

The Russian GP was also among the most profitable. It is estimated that Vladimir Putin’s country spent US$ 50 million (R$ 253 million) a year. The race was sponsored by VTB, Russia’s second largest government-controlled bank.

The company is on the list of entities that have suffered sanctions from the British government because of the war in Ukraine. It was not the only one to finance the stage, but the other companies are also linked to Putin’s government.

Controlled by a group from the United States, F1 has its operational headquarters in the United Kingdom, and most of the teams are European. That is, the category is composed of organizations of countries that form the core of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). This geopolitical composition helps to understand F1’s stance towards the war initiated by Russia.

In the age of social networks, keeping a race on Russian soil would certainly cause damage to the category’s image, something that in the past was more easily ignored by World Cup managers. Just remember that there were races in South Africa in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, when the country lived under apartheid, a regime of racial segregation.

The response to the war in Ukraine, however, was not as firm as those of other sporting bodies, such as FIFA and UEFA. The cancellation of the contract with the Russians only took place after much pressure from public opinion, especially in Europe.

The caution towards Putin’s government is due to the long-standing friendship that the politician maintains with former F1 manager Bernie Ecclestone, who, despite having sold the category, maintains influence behind the scenes. He was one of the main supporters of the campaign that elected the current president of the FIA.

The body that regulates motorsport was pressured to suspend the licenses of drivers from Russia and ally Belarus due to the confrontation in Ukraine, but chose to release the riders. They cannot use or make mention of any symbol of their country, such as anthems and flags.

In F1, the main impact of the measure was the Russian Nikita Mazepin. The Haas team decided to break the contract with him and his then main sponsor, Uralkali – Russian in the fertilizer business –. One of the company’s owners is Dmitry Mazepin, a Russian oligarch associated with Vladimir Putin and Nikita’s father.

It is in this scenario of political effervescence and with the world still under the pandemic of the new coronavirus that the 2022 F1 season begins this weekend in Bahrain. Dutchman Max Verstappen of Red Bull defends his title, while Brit Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes seeks a rematch after taking the runner-up in 2021.