FIA accused of ‘targeting’ Lewis Hamilton with rule changes

Lewis Hamilton on difficult season for Mercedes in November

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FIA boss Mohammed ben Sulayem has been accused of “targeting” Lewis Hamilton in a new rule change. The allegations were made by a House of Lords life peer who has previously called out Ben Sulayem over hosting races in the Persian Gulf.

Liberal Democrats life peer, Paul Scriven, said he was “concerned” to hear that drivers would be banned from making personal political stances ahead of races in 2023. Personal gestures will be banned from the beginning of the new season in March in a bid to keep the FIA and the sport “neutral”.

Scriven hit back at the move, claiming the policy is specially targeted at Hamilton who is the grid’s “most outspoken driver”. The letter reads: “It was with great concern that I learnt of the FIA’s decision to suppress F1 drivers’ voices from speaking out in what you deem to be political statements, a policy that will serve to shield F1 host countries from scrutiny over injustice.

“It is very clear to me that this policy targets Sir Lewis Hamilton, your most outspoken driver, whose comments on countries with abysmal rights records, particularly Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, would have undoubtedly not been well received by these corrupt and abusive regimes.”

Hamilton has been one of the sport’s leading campaigners in recent years with the seven-time champion spotted taking a knee ahead of races. F1 also encouraged a ‘We Race As One’ message after returning from the pandemic in 2020.

But, Ben Sulayem has since urged drivers to focus on driving and instead express their opinions on other platforms. Any driver who wants to make a stand on an issue must receive permission from FIA chiefs or would risk being slapped with penalties.

Meanwhile, Scriven partnered with 90 European parliamentarians to call out Ben Sulayem back in March 2022. In an open letter, they accused the FIA president of “facilitating sports washing in Gulf countries” as the sport expanded to the Middle East.

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Scriven revealed he has received no response from the FIA boss over the note and demanded the allegations were looked into. He added: “Almost one year has passed since you received this letter, and yet, we have not had the courtesy of your response. Your failure to respond to our serious concerns is deeply discourteous and unprofessional.

“Why do you think you can ignore parliamentarians? Do you think that concerns raised over human rights and the policies of the FIA should be above scrutiny? We wrote to you in order to raise concerns that are in the public interest, and we expect openness and transparency from the FIA.”

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