Lewis Hamilton Urged to Stick To His Guns Despite FIA’s “Wrong” Attempt to Take Away Basic Right: “Must Be Reversed Immediately”

Lewis Hamilton has not failed to make use of his growing stature in F1. Every time he feels strongly about some social issues, the Briton speaks up. He does not care if anyone deems it politically correct or incorrect. But with the FIA’s latest update on restricting such politically controversial statements; Hamilton’s wings may have cut off. While the Mercedes man and his boss Toto Wolff have seemingly sorted this issue out; Lewis has been urged to stick to his guns.

Sayed Alwadaei, the director of the London-based Bahrain Institute of Rights and Democracy (BIRD) has written a letter to the FIA on this policy update. According to Reuters, the BIRD director Alwadaei stated, “This move appears to be a reaction to drivers, in particular Lewis Hamilton, raising their concerns about the locations chosen for F1 races, including the human rights records of host countries and making powerful interventions where your own organization has been silent.”

This policy update prohibits any kind of political, religious, or personal comments unless approved. Many feel this may affect the outspoken Hamilton and is an attempt to take away the basic right to expression. The FIA pointed out that this update is to maintain the political neutrality of the sport.

But the BIRD director disagreed on the same in their letter to the governing body. He further added, “We are saying to Mohammed Ben Sulayem that this policy is wrong and it must be reversed immediately” 

Read More: In Addition to Controversial Political Gag on F1 Drivers, FIA Tightens the Leash on “Misconduct” With New Rule

The BIRD director’s appeal in this letter may or may not help reverse this FIA policy. Though for now, Hamilton and Toto Wolff seem okay with this muzzle with some sort of truce with the FIA president.

Where do Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff stand on the FIA Political Rule?

Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton have been some of the main flag bearers of F1 in the last few years. Thus, for any major rule change, they have a strong voice of opinion in the paddock. But, with this latest political restriction, Wolff has stated how they are willing to see how this pans out.

The Mercedes boss stated that the FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem spoke with Lewis Hamilton on this issue. Apparently, this discussion was quite positive in nature. Even Wolff has expressed how this restriction may not be as bad as it seems right now in the off-season.

The Austrian boss feels we need to wait and see how the implications of this rule affect the sport and the drivers. Even Hamilton has not really spoken about this rule publically as he may have, if not for any such discussions with the FIA.

WATCH THIS STORY: Timeline of the Controversial F1 Jewelry Ban Causing Lewis Hamilton to Face-Off With the FIA 

Hamilton and Wolff won’t be wanting any external controversy right now, considering they have a lot on their plate. With a plan to make Mercedes a top team again, the duo will focus on that, besides anything else. What do you think of the FIA’s political statements restriction?