The newly elected FIA president, Mohammed ben Sulayem , acknowledged that “there is no way” he would use his power at the top of the governing body to “impose his beliefs”.
In an interview with GrandPrix247 , he appeared to question Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Lando Norris using their position to raise awareness of non-sporting issues, and was asked by Agnes Carlier in Monaco about what motorsport “should not become”.
The Emirati responded: “Niki Lauda and Alain Prost only cared about driving. Now, Vettel is riding a rainbow bike, Lewis [Hamilton] is passionate about human rights, and Norris is concerned about mental health.”
“Everyone has the right to think,” Sulayem said. “For me, it’s about deciding if we should impose our beliefs on something above the sport all the time.”
“I belong to an Arab culture, I am international and Muslim. Do I not impose my beliefs on those of others?” he asked himself. “No way, ever.”
The FIA president made a post last Wednesday in which he said: “As a driver, I have always believed in sport as a catalyst for the progress of society.”
“This is why promoting sustainability, diversity and inclusion is a key priority in my mandate,” Sulayem said. “In the same way, I value the commitment of all drivers and champions for a better future.”
These comments were made before the celebration of the 2022 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and were exposed to Lewis Hamilton.
The Mercedes driver, who has already stated that he was going to be “an ally” of the president in response to his controversy over piercings and jewelry, suggested that Sulayem’s words could have been taken out of context.
The seven-time world champion added that, regardless of the opinions of the head of the FIA, he would not put aside his activism, in addition to explaining that all Formula 1 drivers should be equally “direct” on the issues that affect them. they interest
“That doesn’t stop us from doing what we’re doing,” said the Briton. “Sport is continually growing, we have more viewership than ever, it’s still an important platform to use our voices.”
“Each and every one of us here, within our teams, can do more to talk about things that spark conversations,” he said. “It’s moving forward at a very slow pace, we need more people to use your platform.”
“I encourage all the drivers to be more direct in the future about the things that concern them. I am proud to see what Seb [Vettel] does, and to be an ally of his,” said Hamilton.
Aston Martin’s German, meanwhile, was on the cover of the “best-selling gay magazine”, Attitude , and followed the example of Mercedes’s. After praising his rival for years on diversity, Vettel gave his opinion.
“The issues that Lewis keeps bringing up, the issues that Lando [Norris] has talked about and the issues that I’ve brought up, I think are very important to address,” he said.
“They are bigger than us, more than a sport can be. It is important to mention them, express it and make people aware that there are still many things we can improve,” said Sebastian Vettel.
