UK MPs express “grave concerns” over FIA and F1 role in “sportswashing”

British MPs have expressed “serious concern” to FIA and Formula 1 bosses about their role in “sports washing” ahead of the 2023 season, which begins in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

The 20-strong group of cross-party MPs, notably former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn and his shadow chancellor John McDonnell, have called for an independent investigation into the activities of the championship and governing body in countries with “questionable human rights records”.

This comes ahead of the opening round of the 2023 season in Bahrain this weekend ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on March 19.

In a letter to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem and FIA single-seater boss Nikolas Tombazis, MPs cite the execution of 81 prisoners in Saudi Arabia in one day in 2022.

They already note that Bahrain has the highest incarceration rate of any country in the Middle East and North Africa, with an estimated 1,300 political prisoners.

MPs write that they “condemn F1’s refusal to partner with key stakeholders, including human rights groups such as the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, when they awarded Bahrain the longest contract in F1 history [until 2036]violating F1 guidelines”.

They are calling on F1 and the FIA ​​to conduct an independent investigation to assess the “adequacy and effectiveness, or lack thereof, of your current human rights policies”.

In addition, MEPs called on the two parties to “use all available leverage to make representations to Bahrain that they release political prisoners immediately and unconditionally.”

The letter concludes: “Million dollar profits must not come at the expense of human rights.

MPs have criticized F1 for traveling to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Pictures

“You have a duty to ensure that your presence has a positive impact, which will not be possible as long as political prisoners remain behind bars in Bahrain.

“If Lewis Hamilton can talk, why can’t you?”

Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, the director of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, added: “MPs are right in disclosing Formula 1’s role in the sports laundering of the rights of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

“F1 leadership cannot simply claim that their presence in these countries is having a positive impact when evidence shows the opposite.

“F1 continues to benefit from the brutal autocrats in the Gulf, making millions while the victims pay the price.

“When Lewis Hamilton is able to speak out in the face of injustice, he is setting a moral standard for F1 management to follow.”

The main signatory, Lord Scriven, said: “We are calling on them to do things to improve the way sport works in the context of human rights, these are not extreme or radical things, they are issues that we would expect of any sporting organization with moral leadership at the heart of how motorsport is governed and operated.”

In response, an FIA spokesman said: “At the pinnacle of motorsport, F1 events take place in a huge spectrum of different countries and cultures around the world.

Dignitaries, including Saudi royalty, at the start before launch

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

“We believe that the most fundamental goal of motorsport and all sport rests on a desire to increase our common ground and cultivate the principles of cooperation and togetherness between people.

“The FIA ​​​​like other international sporting bodies cannot interfere in the internal affairs of a sovereign state.

“However, this independence from the affairs of states, as emphasized by the International Olympic Committee, does not mean that we are insensitive to the possible hardships faced by those affected.

“The FIA ​​will continue to work on projects that bring positive benefits to the wider society and always act within its framework as the regulator of motorsport worldwide.”

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Domenicali said: “Formula 1 has worked hard for decades to be a positive force everywhere it races, including economic, social and cultural benefits.

“Sports like Formula 1 are uniquely positioned to transcend borders and cultures, to bring countries and communities together to share the passion and excitement of incredible competition and achievement.

“We take our responsibilities very seriously and have made our position on human rights and other issues clear to all our partners and host countries, who commit to respecting human rights in hosting and running their events.”