“We are not in a school,” Frustrated Lando Norris hits out at FIA’s ban on political statements 

McLaren driver, Lando Norries lashes out at the FIA over their absurd rules in the sport.


“We are not in a school,” Frustrated Lando Norris hits out at FIA’s ban on political statements 

Lando Norris

FIA, the governing body of Formula One had imposed a new rule earlier this year. They introduced a new clause, which forbids drivers from making and displaying political, religious and personal statements or any sort of comments. If they do, this will be in direct violation of the principle of neutrality the FIA aims to achieve. 

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The drivers are not a fan of this rule. While most of them spoke against this implementation, Lando Norris just joined the party. At the launch of MCL60, the Briton gave his opinion on this matter. He was not happy about this constraint. He mentioned the FIA is treating the drivers like school children.

The McLaren driver wants the FIA to treat them as grown-ups. “There are things that you want to do, that you’re going to want to say, which maybe they don’t allow it. I feel like there’s been quite a bit of pressure and enough said to maybe make a little bit of a U-turn. But F1 have made things clear with what they think is acceptable and what we should be able to do as drivers, and that’s what I stand by.”The Briton was quite frustrated with it and stood up for himself and his fellow drivers.

Related : Max Verstappen calls out his “absurd” $1 million FIA Super License fee

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Lando Norris wants the FIA to know the drivers are not school children

Lando Norris

He continued, “We should be able to say what we want and what we believe in. We’re not in a school. We shouldn’t have to ask about everything and say, ‘Can we do this? Can we do that? I think we’re grown up enough to try to make smart decisions. Maybe sometimes people make silly decisions, but that happens in life.”

Norris wants to be able to make use of the platform he earned as a Formula One driver. He further went on to add that freedom of speech is what makes them human. The drivers want to be allowed to speak their minds and create a positive impact. Formula One serves as the best stage for them to create awareness of what they stand for. 

Lewis Hamilton made strong statements using this platform wisely. He bent a knee and fought against racism. Sebastian Vettel wore a shirt honouring the bees last season with the “save the bees” slogan. He also bent a knee with Hamilton showing his support. With the FIA’s new rules, drivers may not be allowed to express themselves freely.

However, things might change now as Mohammed Ben Sulayem has stepped back from day-to-day management. This is one of the few times all the drivers share the same thought of wanting to express their views, it is no doubt they will take a strong stance against this rule if it proves to be troublesome.

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