As the more immediate future of Formula 1 has become clearer, I have found myself frustrated in trying to understand the relevance of its #WeRaceAsOne initiative and the FIA’s #PurposeDriven movement.
From where I am sitting, it has been difficult to ascertain how committed both organisations are to these programmes and whether or not they are both simply marketing tools.
Understandably, an important and higher profile aspect of both programs is equality, inclusivity and diversity and part of my frustration is borne from the collective intent of both organisations to focus on these aspects from very explicit perspectives rather than those of the broader perspectives that are truer to their very definitions.
While F1 is titled as a World Championship, it seems to me that the mere right to host a Grand Prix that is a part of the championship fixture is the exclusive domain of countries with sufficient funds available to satisfy the demands of the sports commercial rights holder, Liberty Media, not withstanding the consequential event operating costs associated with holding the event, while the African continent with 16% of the worlds population and 54 sovereign nations, is excluded on that basis and has not held a Grand Prix on its soil in over 28 years.
That hardly seems inclusive, in the same way that the British bias in the English speaking F1-sponsored media is exclusive as I discussed in another article recently.
Similarly, while other countries are precluded from holding a Grand Prix on the basis of capital, both Liberty and the FIA seem unashamedly anxious to hold multiple events in “target markets” such as the US, that historically has little understanding of, passion for and patronage of F1, and the fossil fuel derived wealthy Middle East that has a traditionally poor human rights and gender oppression record.
Of course there are the hundreds of non-essential PR and marketing professionals that are air lifted hundreds of thousands of kilometres every season to and from the circuits at a cost of millions of dollars and tonnes of carbon rich emissions to the environment.
It is not even remotely close to implementing an event in a sustainable manner that is respectful of our ecosystem.
To me, the icing on the cake is the stated pledge of the FIA to, “Promote technological innovation in the motorsport community and transfer its effects to other social sectors”, while recently at the F1 2022 car launch at Silverstone the FIA’s Nicholas Tombazis openly stated that the FIA no longer wants the innovation focus moving forward to be technical development of the cars, but rather for it to be bio-fuel and financial innovation.
Yes, you read that right, another paradox, but not surprising given that under Liberty’s reign the F1 paradigm has been shifting on an exponential curve towards that of being about “the show”, and no longer about sport as a priority.
F1 launched the #WeRaceAsOne initiative in 2020 focused on the three pillars of sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and community, and the FIA launched #PurposeDriven to federate and amplify motor sport and mobility’s positive contribution to society in terms of health and safety, environment, diversity & inclusion, and community development, but to me as long as both establishments continue to contradict those programs through the strategic direction with which the sport is taking, both seem doomed to be nothing other than feel good marketing ploys.
If you have any questions that you would like me to answer directly please feel free to email me via the GP247 contact form and I will endeavour to respond as soon as I can.
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