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F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has shared a "no compromise" stance to be associated with the 'Drive It Out' campaign. The campaign was launched on the eve of the F1 Hungarian GP amidst reports of Lewis Hamilton's merchandise being burnt by Dutch F1 fans. It was during this time that F1 launched the 'Drive it Out' campaign that came with the message:
“F1 recognizes that while passion and competition is a very important part of our sport, it can go too far, resulting in fans, journalists, presenters, and drivers receiving abuse both verbally and online. We are all sending a clear message that this isn’t acceptable and must end – and those that continue to spread abuse and offensive comments are not welcome in our sport.”
On the eve of the Hungarian GP, Domenicali, when questioned about the campaign by SkyF1, had further elaborated by saying:
“There’s no discussion about this, no compromise. I think that it is a message that it was great to see that everyone embraced it immediately. I have to say the beauty of our sport is that we can control it. As you can see back again on the grandstand, lots of kids, and lots of family, and it’s good to see different camps all mixed up. So that’s the real Formula 1 we want to see.”
Domenicali further urged fans to come out and report in case something of this sort happened:
“Structurally, there’s no fear to give any kind of information because we have put places where you can say something, you can highlight if there is a problem. Of course, if someone is behaving in a [bad] way, [the response is] gonna be very, very, very, very strong. There’s no space for idiots in the world!’’
He also touched upon the fact that even if there is competition between teams/drivers, that should not mean 'respect' goes for a toss in all of this. He said:
“Unfortunately, we don’t want to give any kind of room [to them] because [in this sport] one can show that there is a competition. In competition, you can do good, you can do bad, but you need to be respectful every time.’’
The efficacy of F1's campaign brought into question
The efficacy of F1's campaign has already been brought into question, as during the summer break there have been quite a few instances of abuse on social media. The most recent incident was against Michael Masi as Lewis Hamilton fans reacted to his Vanity Fair interview and the abuse started pouring in.
Helen Crossley, formerly of McLaren and now with Alpine as their Head of Digital Media, encountered a part of it when she posted a message sympathizing with Masi’s plight. She wrote on Twitter:
“My mind is absolutely blown reading even more hate and threats directed at Michael Masi. I don’t agree with the outcome of that race but in what actual world is this okay? He’s a human. And this is a SPORT. 🤯”
In what was one of the more extreme messages, someone wrote, "Both you and Masi need to sleep with one eye open".
There were also instances of Esteban Ocon facing abuse from Spanish fans after Fernando Alonso left Alpine.
There were also reports of track security harrassing fans and cameramen in Hungary. While the new campaign is all well and good, it remains to be seen whether the sport will take any decisive action against such behavior and put its money where its mouth is.
