A human rights group says Formula 1’s governing body the FIA is “suppressing drivers’ freedom of speech” with a rule it has introduced this year. The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (Bird) has questioned the FIA’s commitment to human rights. Bird says the new rule stops “drivers from making their voice heard on issues including human rights and racism”. Alwadaei says the 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 organisation has been silent”. Alwadaei says Hamilton has “used his platform to express support for Black Lives Matter and human rights in countries with problematic human rights records, including Bahrain and Saudi Arabia”.

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