Formula 1’s move follows allegations of racist and homophobic abuse, as well as sexual harassment , at the Austrian Grand Prix in early July, prompting action.
The new campaign has been launched via a video featuring all the drivers, F1 boss Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem condemning abuse both on the circuits and on the internet, and asking people to stop and report the aggressors immediately.
In the joint video about the ‘Drive it out’ campaign (‘Expúlsalos’, translated), in which Domenicali, Ben Sulayem and the 20 F1 drivers appear, they state:
“Formula 1 is competition and rivalry, but also respect. Respect as competitors, respect for our fans, respect for the entire F1 family. Abuse of any kind is unacceptable. If you can’t be respectful, then don’t be part of it. our sport.”
“We cannot allow those who believe they can abuse others to get away with it. We have a duty to speak out and say ‘no more.’ We are acting as a community to block those who abuse others online. And we will not allow abuse in our careers. But we also need social media platforms to address online abuse head-on.”
“Those who hide behind social media with abusive and disrespectful opinions are not our fans. We are united and ask you to join us in driving this out of all of sport and society. ‘Drive it out’ together “.
The ‘ Drive It Out ‘ campaign comes as F1 has taken steps to ensure there are no abuses at grands prix, after condemning “unacceptable” behavior at Austria’s Red Bull Ring.
F1 said then that it intended to speak to the race promoter to find out what happened and ensure safety and support was improved at future events.
But those talks will extend to every event on the calendar, ensuring all fans can safely attend races without facing abuse, promising action against perpetrators.
After the Austrian Grand Prix, several drivers spoke out about the allegations of abuse, including Sebastian Vettel, who called for those responsible to be banned from attending F1 races for life.
Lewis Hamilton called the behavior “disgusting”, while Mercedes boss Toto Wolff gave a resounding “fuck you” to those responsible, asking them to “stay home”.
