Valtteri Bottas showed solidarity by siding with his former Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton. During the peak of 2020’s Anti-racism movement, the majority of F1 drivers led by Hamilton took a knee in an act of protest.
But since then FIA has changed their stance on expressing dissent. The FIA amended its rulebook in December. And now, drivers who wish to make a political or religious statement will have to seek prior approval from the authority.
📰: A ban has been imposed on F1 drivers from making political statements without the permission of the FIA.
As of now,failure to follow the instructions of the new FIA regulations is considered a rule violation.#F1 pic.twitter.com/wjuq34qXmh— F1 Naija 🇳🇬 (@f1_naija) December 20, 2022
This means acts like Sebastian Vettel rooting for same-sex marriage, or Hamilton making a statement against racism will be banned. And this has drawn staunch criticism from fans and drivers alike
The ruling mandates drivers and teams to adhere to the principles of neutrality of the FIA. But Bottas believes the crackdown on drivers is unnecessary.
Valtteri Bottas opposes FIA’s ban on political expression
Valtteri Bottas considers himself apolitical. The Finn believes it’s best for drivers to focus on racing and providing a good spectacle for fans. But that shouldn’t curtail their freedom of expression.
Bottas expressed, “Personally, I don’t like politics. I like to do what I love, which is racing, but at the same time, politics is part of today’s society.”
That’s it for the @RaceOfChampions 2023. I had a blast – Made new friends, shared good stories, good laughs and had fun on track (even if both days were short for me).
Congrats to winners and see you again in 2024 🏁#VB77 #ROCSweden pic.twitter.com/2HqMWwl3nd
— Valtteri Bottas (@ValtteriBottas) January 29, 2023
The Finn claims Formula 1 has played a major part in addressing many issues in the modern world. With millions of fans globally tuning in every race weekend, it is a huge platform.
Bottas points out the likes of Sebastian Vettel who took a stance on climate change and Same-sex marriage. And he feels drivers should have the opportunity to do so in the future.
He added, “I don’t understand why they want to control us. I think we should have the right to talk about what we want. That’s how I see it, but we’ll see what happens.”
Bottas recently competed in the 2023 Race of Champions in Sweden alongside Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher. The Driver will next be spotted when Alfa Romeo launches their 2023 F1 car in Zurich on February 7.
