Lewis Hamilton & Sebastian Vettel Boldly Respond to FIA Criticism on Campaigning

Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel are a source of inspiration to many. They are drivers who are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in and use their platform to shine the light on things they think are important.

Recently, Vettel spoke about how F1 will open its arms to racing drivers from the LGBTQ community. At the same time, Hamilton has also been supportive of this. The seven-time world champion has also been an advocate to improve diversity in F1 and has always been vocal about it.

However, the president of FIA Mohammed bin Sulayem earlier said in an interview with GrandPrix247, “Vettel drives a rainbow bicycle, Lewis is passionate about human rights and [Lando] Norris addresses mental health. Everybody has the right to think. To me, it is about deciding whether we should impose our beliefs in something over the sport all the time.”

Despite Bin Sulayem’s comments, Hamilton believes that every racing driver must continue to express their views on societal issues. The Mercedes driver said, “I encourage all the drivers to be more outspoken and use their platform.”

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Like his fellow driver, Vettel also believes that F1 is a great platform to spread awareness. “It is important to express and mention [these topics], raise awareness, making people aware there are lots of things we can improve on,” the German added.

Nevertheless, the FIA president later clarified his comments, by posting on Twitter, “As a driver, I have always believed in sport as a catalyst of progress in society. That is why promoting sustainability, diversity and inclusion is a key priority of my mandate. In the same way, I value the commitment of all drivers and champions for a better future.”

Are Lewis Hamilton and Co. skeptical of the FIA?

In recent months, reports suggested that the drivers and F1 are growing tired of the FIA. The relationship between the drivers and the organization has also been strained. Furthermore, there have been rumors that F1 is looking to reduce the FIA’s involvement in the sport.

Aside from Hamilton’s jewelry ban protests, Fernando Alonso also criticized the FIA for being inconsistent with decisions. However, ahead of the Azerbaijan GP, he stated his confidence in Bin Sulayem.

He said, “I have full trust in the FIA president. Maybe we saw a few things at the beginning of the year that were not as consistent as we asked for. There is room to improve but I have full trust in the FIA president that he will fix the things that need to be fixed.”

Meanwhile, Hamilton also voiced his support for the FIA’s president. “On Mohammed, it’s a huge role and big shoes to fill. There are lots of things he wants to do and change,” the Brit conveyed.

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With that being said, the tricky relationship between the two parties could continue. However, now the drivers have established their full backing for the FIA.