“I don’t blame them”- Saud Arabian leader Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al Faisal calls it ignorance of the people criticizing the new Grand Prix.
Ever since Formula 1 announced the inclusion of Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the staunch supporters of Human Rights have criticized this move, as the Arabian nation is accused of several human rights violations.
But countering the allegations, Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al Faisal, the President of the local motorsport federation while speaking with Motorsport-Mazagin.com has claimed that people are illusioned by the apparent false image of Saudi Arabia and he wishes to change it.
”I don’t blame them,” he said. ”I don’t blame those people because they have never been to Saudi Arabia. We are opening up our country so that more people can see our beautiful country and hopefully that will change their minds.”
The Saudi Arabian official is aiming high with their own race. ”We don’t want to be a race, we want to be the best race. I guarantee it will be a fast and exciting race with a lot of catching up to do.”
“We love Monaco, but you can’t really catch up there. We want a street circuit with a fantastic view, but also the possibility to overtake”, concludes the Prince about the circuit that will be designed by Hermann Tilke.
Amnesty looks towards Hamilton to speak against it
No doubt Hamilton is the biggest supporter of human rights in the current lot of paddock with his consistent support towards anti-racism sentiments. And that is why Amnesty International is urging him to speak against it.
But so far the Briton has kept his words away from the issue, and shrugged it by saying that he isn’t much aware of the issue which is propelling the criticism against that state.
“I have some friends that go there and tell me it’s a stunning place. But I think it’s important that I before I really comment, I know exactly what the issue is.
“Nelson Mandela many years ago said the sport has the power to change the world for the better,” he added. “We have already seen the positive shifts that we as a sport this year have committed to and started to push in the direction of supporting human rights and equality and inclusivity.
“The current fact is we go to all these countries, and while it is a great event, we don’t leave a long-lasting positive effect on those places,” he pointed out.
“The question is, can we? Can we be a part of bringing attention to certain issues and push them to change?”
