Photo: Lewis Hamilton Twitter
If you have been following the world of Formula 1, you are aware of the introduction of a controversial rule regarding free speech. Since that happened, drivers have united in a bid to make the FIA reconsider this decision, which has bizarre consequences.
We’ve covered both what the rule entails and the drivers' reaction in a previous article, so we won’t reiterate everything here. A quick recap would be that drivers are stifled in what they can say or wear for most of the race weekend, with only a few exceptions. That is unless they go through an official procedure of asking permission from the FIA.
This, unsurprisingly, did not sit well with the drivers. Spearheaded by Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, they united in taking a stand against the impairment of their freedom of speech and demanded clarification. The FIA was quick to give some ground and explain in detail what everything means, but it still isn’t good, as penalties can be applied for failing to comply.
That prompted me to go through the official statements and read the International Sporting Code to understand what those penalties are. And this is where I found something shocking. The drivers can be punished under Article 12.4.1 of the ISC.
That does not say much to the average person, myself included. So, I decided to change that and learn what that article says and what penalties are mentioned. And, oh boy, did I open a can of worms.
Things start off naturally, with punishments as small as a warning or a reprimand, which is basically the equivalent of getting scolded in school. The next level is a fine, and most teams and drivers would have no problem paying as if nothing happened.
But this is where things start slipping into the territory of the absurd. The driver can face an "obligation to accomplish some work of public interest." Yes, that is one of the penalties for speaking up on matters of public interest, and I really hope you see the irony here.
Things only got worse as I looked further down the list. Among the punitive measures that can be applied for ignoring FIA’s new rule are time penalties, including a stop-go, getting dropped down the grid order, or starting from the pitlane.
This brings matters that happen outside of racing onto the track itself and could have a huge impact on the outcome of a race or even a championship. It is an approach that should not be tolerated, as it makes the racing worse under the guise of bringing more focus onto racing and not political matters.
And if you, just like me, thought that was already going too far and nothing could be worse, you are in for a shocker. Through Article 12.4.1, the stewards and FIA have the power to drop a driver in the classification of the competition. Even worse, a driver who decides to speak their mind can even be disqualified, suspended, or downright excluded from the championship.
This is completely unfair and absurd. It allows the governing body to mess with the racing and influence outcomes based on subjective evaluation. It can make qualifying rounds or even an entire Grand Prix meaningless.
This means that the fans should be just as outraged as the drivers. These punitive measures could end up destroying the integrity of the sport that many have grown to love.
This, unsurprisingly, did not sit well with the drivers. Spearheaded by Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, they united in taking a stand against the impairment of their freedom of speech and demanded clarification. The FIA was quick to give some ground and explain in detail what everything means, but it still isn’t good, as penalties can be applied for failing to comply.
That prompted me to go through the official statements and read the International Sporting Code to understand what those penalties are. And this is where I found something shocking. The drivers can be punished under Article 12.4.1 of the ISC.
That does not say much to the average person, myself included. So, I decided to change that and learn what that article says and what penalties are mentioned. And, oh boy, did I open a can of worms.
Things start off naturally, with punishments as small as a warning or a reprimand, which is basically the equivalent of getting scolded in school. The next level is a fine, and most teams and drivers would have no problem paying as if nothing happened.
But this is where things start slipping into the territory of the absurd. The driver can face an "obligation to accomplish some work of public interest." Yes, that is one of the penalties for speaking up on matters of public interest, and I really hope you see the irony here.
Things only got worse as I looked further down the list. Among the punitive measures that can be applied for ignoring FIA’s new rule are time penalties, including a stop-go, getting dropped down the grid order, or starting from the pitlane.
This brings matters that happen outside of racing onto the track itself and could have a huge impact on the outcome of a race or even a championship. It is an approach that should not be tolerated, as it makes the racing worse under the guise of bringing more focus onto racing and not political matters.
And if you, just like me, thought that was already going too far and nothing could be worse, you are in for a shocker. Through Article 12.4.1, the stewards and FIA have the power to drop a driver in the classification of the competition. Even worse, a driver who decides to speak their mind can even be disqualified, suspended, or downright excluded from the championship.
This is completely unfair and absurd. It allows the governing body to mess with the racing and influence outcomes based on subjective evaluation. It can make qualifying rounds or even an entire Grand Prix meaningless.
This means that the fans should be just as outraged as the drivers. These punitive measures could end up destroying the integrity of the sport that many have grown to love.
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