Lewis Hamilton is not just the epitome of excellence on track, but off it as well. Looking beyond himself has been a trademark of the man who is about to enter the 17th year of his F1 career. He is often seen making statements centered in and around human rights. However, his free speech may not last very long amidst the FIA banning drivers from making political statements. In the opinion of a British Parliamentarian, the ban specifically targets the champion.

Hamilton is not someone who sits back seeing wrong happen on or off track. He had been at the receiving end of the stick for the very same. The FIA ​​has prohibited drivers from making political, religious, and personal statements. This new rule, which is set to come into force from 2023, requires the driver to obtain prior permission from the federation to make a ‘statement’ at any official ceremony. It is well known that most such stances are taken by the Brit and hence his country’s Parliamentarian, Paul Scriven, believes that the new rule has been made to quiet the Knight.

As reported by SoyMotor, Lord Scriven believes that the said ban is aimed at certain drivers. He said, “…and it seems to me that it has Sir Lewis Hamilton, the pilot most concerned about these issues, in its sights. Due to his statements on human rights problems in countries like Bahrain or Saudi Arabia [is the main target of the ban].”

He stated that curbing free speech or a driver expressing his opinion “only serves to protect the countries that host F1 from the control of injustices.”

Read More: Toto Wolff Surprisingly Okay With FIA Muzzle On Lewis Hamilton & Co.: “The FIA Mean Well”

Talking about the parliamentarians, this is not the first time the British Parliament has tried calling out the FIA.

The last time British Parliament accused FIA

Paul Scriven hasn’t been too pleased with Ben Sulayem after the FIA president ignored a letter in March 2022 about having events in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE because of the human rights issues in these countries. He further accused them of facilitating sports washing of these nations. The letter had 90 parliamentarians sign it.

He said, “It’s been almost a year since you received this letter, yet we still haven’t had the courtesy of your response. Your lack of response to our serious concerns is profoundly impolite and unprofessional. Why do you think you can ignore Parliamentarians? Do you think the FIA ​​should be above any scrutiny? We have written to you because we think these are public interest concerns and we expect transparency from the FIA,”

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With the free speech ban on drivers and FIA not responding to a country’s legislators, do you think there is a lack of accountability from the governing federation of Formula 1?