McLaren’s Lando Norris prepared to defy FIA ban on political statements
Lando Norris has said he would be prepared to defy the FIA’s ban on drivers making political statements at Formula One races. He added that the opposition among drivers was so strong he expected the FIA to be forced into a Uturn on their position.
Norris was speaking at the launch of McLaren’s new car, the MCL60, at their Woking headquarters, the car named to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Bruce McLaren forming the team. The 23-year-old is entering his fifth year in F1 and has been prominent in speaking out on mental health issues, as well as equality and diversity.
In December, the FIA announced it was adjusting the regulations, banning drivers from making “political, religious or personal” statements or comments without permission, a decision Norris believed was fundamentally wrong and one he would be potentially willing to deliberately violate.
“I don’t know what the penalty is, if it’s a fine I am probably happy to break it,” he said. “If it’s a bit more then maybe not but it depends. At certain times there are things you are going to want to say which maybe they won’t allow but I think that will only be a positive thing for whatever that circumstance is.”
Last week, the CEO of F1, Stefano Domenicali, made clear his opposition to the FIA’s stance by stating F1 did not believe in restricting drivers’ rights to speak out, saying: “F1 will never, never put a gag on anyone.”
Drivers such as Max Verstappen, Alex Albon, Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas have also voiced their opposition as has Red Bull’s team principal, Christian Horner.
Norris believed the FIA was being backed into a corner, which would force it to revise its position. “I feel like there has been quite a bit of pressure and enough said to maybe make a little bit of a U-turn,” he said. “F1 have made things clear with what they think is acceptable and what we should be able to do as drivers. That’s what I stand by, we should be able to say what we want and what we believe in.
“We are not at school, we shouldn’t have to ask about everything. ‘Can we do this? Can we do that?’ We are grown up enough to make smart decisions. Enough drivers have said things now to push back.”
When Norris made his comments the FIA had yet to clarify their ruling or make any statement on the opposition from the drivers and F1. However afterwards a spokesperson did comment, expressing the association’s disquiet with Norris’s remarks.
“Guidance regarding the implementation of International Sporting Code changes will be given to teams in the coming days and they are aware of that,” it read. “Comments being made about intentionally ignoring the regulations send a disappointing message to the next generation of competitors.”
Last week the FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who is believed to have been the driving force behind imposing the regulation, announced he was to step back from the day to day regulation of F1 amid considerable dissatisfaction and controversy over his first year in charge of the governing body.
Norris is hoping for an improvement in performance from his team when the season starts in Bahrain on 5 March. They finished fifth in the constructors’ championship last year, behind Alpine, their main rivals in the midfield, having struggled to extract the maximum from their car’s design under the new regulations.
He is joined by a new teammate in Oscar Piastri, who is making his F1 debut. The 21-year-old Australian is highly rated having won the F3 championship in 2020 and followed it a year later by taking the F2 title.
As the more experienced driver Norris is now expected to take on the role of team leader, the new team principal Andrea Stella confirmed. This is a charge the 23-year-old welcomed.
“I definitely have more responsibility to uphold this season,” he said. “I am the one that feels a bit more at home. I can use that to push people, the aerodynamicists, the designers. I feel happier to go to them and ask them questions, lean on them and push them, having had time to get to know people, getting the truth out of people, pushing them and getting them to find their limit.”