As the new season is about to commence in about a few weeks, the FIA has already been in hot water for multiple controversies. Apart from how F1 slammed the governing body and president Mohammed Ben Sulayem over his “Inflated” comments on the $20 billion F1 valuation, the FIA has recently come under the wrath of Red Bull and Max Verstappen‘s boss Helmut Marko.

Marko, a long-time executive of the Austrian team, has recently opened up to German media conglomerate RTL on how FIA has decided to silence the drivers on their political stance. For those who don’t know, FIA opted to clamp down on every voice against political statements.

The governing body will not allow any F1 driver to share their thoughts on the political aspects when they are racing in different countries unless they make a formal request beforehand. This enraged the veteran and led him to hit out at FIA.

As quoted by F1i, Marko said, “That is clearly wrong. They [the drivers] are responsible citizens who are in the global public eye and who know how and what they have to say. In general, we are in a democratic society and everyone can express their opinion.”

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As per motorsport-com, a driver will violate the rules under a new Article 12.2.1.n, which states, “the general making and display of political, religious and personal statements or comments notably in violation of the general principle of neutrality promoted by the FIA under its Statutes, unless previously approved in writing by the FIA for International Competitions, or by the relevant ASN for National Competitions within their jurisdiction.”

Valtteri Bottas praised Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel as he slammed FIA’s decision

Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas slammed the FIA regulations, as he believed it was done to “control” them. The former Mercedes star also praised his former teammate Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, who made a rookie mistake at ROC, for their prolific work outside F1.

Hamilton and Vettel have always been two iconic figures who stand up for different causes. Bottas has all the praise in the world for them. So, when it comes to FIA and its regulations, the Finn has an answer for them.

As per Expressen.se, Bottas said, “Personally, I don’t like politics. I like to do what I love, which is racing, but at the same time politics is part of today’s society. I think Formula 1 has done a good job of bringing attention to some of these types of issues and many drivers have raised their voices, including Sebastian.”

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“I don’t understand why they want to control us. I think we should have the right to talk about what we want. That’s how I see it, but we’ll see what happens.”

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FIA, however, is yet to make any monumental comments on the new regulations. But was it a right decision from them? What would you do if you were in Lewis Hamilton’s shoes?