Pilots urged to defend human rights

It is the responsibility of the pilots to prevent the Formula 1 does not become a “ moral void ». This is the injunction of Paul Scrivens, member of the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, on the occasion of a press conference organized by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, BIRD). " La Formula 1 can take two paths, He explains. The first is that of a moral void towards which leaders and managers seem to be heading. There is another route that drivers seem to be taking, who know that they can use their platform and their sport not just for sporting purposes, but to enact change. They cannot ignore the human rights violations taking place in the countries they visit. »

A declaration which revives, a few days before the first Grand Prix of the season in Bahrain, the debate around the freedom of expression of drivers, burning since last December. In an update to the International Sporting Code, the FIA ​​limited the possibility of messages “ political, religious and personal commitments and opinions ". A position subsequently clarified by the motorsport governing body, specifying that this would only apply in certain moments of a race weekend. Several drivers stepped up to denounce a form of censorship, some not hesitating to show political messages in the paddock like Lewis Hamilton ou Sebastian Vettel. In the event of non-compliance with these regulations, drivers could suffer penalties provided for by the Sporting Code. To which Paul Scrivens responds that drivers should be able to see their refusal to participate in a race in certain countries justified, if the sport does not allow an ethical framework to be put in place.

On the side of Formula 1, and in particular its president Stefano Domenicali, we repeat that the goal is not to “ muzzle the pilots ". But for the moment, the frameworks authorized by the regulations are interviews outside the framework of the race, press conferences organized by the FIA ​​only in response to a journalist's question, and the personal social networks of the 20 drivers of the grid.

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