F1 drivers instructed not to use FIA platform for ‘personal agenda’ by president

Under new rules, Formula 1 drivers will need prior written permission from the FIA to make ‘political, religious and personal statements’

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has implored Formula 1 drivers not to use any platform provided by the FIA to spread their “personal agenda.”

Under new FIA rules for the 2023 season, F1 drivers now need prior written permission from the sport’s governing body to make “political, religious and personal statements” after the International Sporting Code was controversially updated last month.

Any driver - with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel having previously been vocal in matters of race, equality and LGBTQ rights - who now makes such statements will be in breach of the rules.

Ben Sulayem, who took over as FIA president at the beginning of last year, told reporters on Tuesday at the Dakar Rally that he doesn’t want drivers “diverting from the sport” next season.

“We are concerned with building bridges,” Ben Sulayem said. “You can use sport for peace reasons. But one thing we don’t want is to have the FIA as a platform for private personal agenda.

“We will divert from the sport. What does the driver do best? Driving. They are so good at it, and they make the business, they make the show, they are the stars. Nobody is stopping them.

“There are other platforms to express what they want. Everybody has this and they are most welcome to go through the process of the FIA, to go through that.”

While four-time world champion Vettel - a climate change campaigner and gay rights activist - has now retired from the sport, Hamilton is set to compete in his 17th season in Formula 1 this year.

Lewis Hamilton wore a rainbow helmet in Qatar in 2021 in support of LGBTQ rights (Getty Images)

Hamilton has stood up for human rights and racial equality while also addressing LGBTQ rights in conservative countries like Saudi Arabia, which has held two races since 2021, and Qatar.

Ben Sulayem also rejected the notion that the FIA was shutting down drivers, saying he wanted to “improve and clean up” the sport.

“I have my own personal things, OK, but it doesn’t mean I will use the FIA to do it,” said Ben Sulayem, a former rally driver from the United Arab Emirates.

“The FIA should be neutral, I believe. We need the superstars in to make the sport.

“If there is anything, you take the permission. If not, if they make any other mistake, it’s like speeding in the pit lane. If you do it, it’s very clear what you get.”

The 2023 season, which currently has a mid-April slot to fill as a result of the Chinese Grand Prix’s cancellation, starts in Bahrain on March 5.