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The F1 community, led by F1 CEO and President Stefano Domenicali and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, including all 20 drivers of the 2022 grid, recently released a campaign titled 'Drive It Out.' The campaign's goal is to speak up against all forms of online abuse as well as any disrespectful behavior or opinions at racing events.
In a video posted on their official social media accounts, they jointly said:
“Formula 1 is all about competition and rivalry, but also respect. Respect as competitors, respect for our fans, respect for the whole F1 family. Abuse of any kind is unacceptable. If you cannot be respectful then don’t be part of our sport. We cannot let those who think they can abuse others get away with it. We have a duty to call this out and say ‘no more’. We are acting as a community to block those who abuse others online. We won’t allow abuse at our races. But we also need social media platforms to tackle abuse online head-on. Those who hide behind social media with abusive and disrespectful views are not our fans. We are united and ask you to join us in driving this out of all sport and society. Drive it out together.”
Watch the video below:
An official statement from F1 said:
“Formula 1 is all about competition and rivalries, but also respect. Respect as competitors. Respect for our fans. Respect for the whole F1 family. Abuse of any kind is not welcome online, or anywhere in F1. We are united and ask you all to join us in driving this out of all sport and society. We have a duty to call this out and say - "no more". Those who hide behind social media with abusive and disrespectful views are not our fans. If you cannot be respectful, then don't be part of our sport. Drive It Out. Together.”
The 2022 Austrian Grand Prix witnessed several instances of harassment and abuse as well as the use of racial slurs in the grandstands of the Red Bull Ring that were deemed "unacceptable." Most drivers promptly responded to the incident, with several including Sebastian Vettel, Sergio Perez, and Lando Norris claiming that such fans should be banned from attending an F1 race to protect the rest of the community from such behavior. These social media posts were reshared by most drivers on their individual platforms as well.
Max Verstappen says that fan behavior during F1 races is not in his control
Max Verstappen has said that he and the rest of the drivers have no control over what fans do in the grandstands and that it is in the hands of the bosses within the FIA to ensure that security prevents any form of unwelcomed behavior during a race.
As reported by the Mirror, he said:
“I’m not in control of what fans are doing. Its the same with any sport, you’re not in control of what the fans are going to do. But if you have a lot of security around, [they] might influence what people are doing in the grandstands. This is not only up to the drivers. It’s not only Austria, I think it’s happened all over the place.’’
Verstappen also admitted that Austria was not the first time the sport witnessed such incidents.
