DOHA: Formula One drivers will be free to “speak their minds” on controversial issues such as human rights when Qatar hosts its first Grand Prix next month, Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation president said in a recent interview.
The Gulf nation has been the target of protests by several national football teams over its treatment of foreign workers, as part of a wave of social activism by athletes.
But Qatar, which will host the World Cup exactly one year from its inaugural Grand Prix race on November 21, will not stop F1 drivers from speaking out.
“We are happy to support the drivers to speak their minds on their platforms,” QMMF president Abdulrahman Al Mannai told AFP.
“We don’t see it as an issue in Qatar because they’re free to say whatever they want to say.”
Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton is a prominent voice in the Black Lives Matter movement and four-time title-winner Sebastian Vettel is another driver to champion social issues.
This year, the national football teams of Norway, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands have all held rights protests aimed at Qatar ahead of 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
