Formula 1 cannot go back to business as usual after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which world champion Max Verstappen won ahead of Charles Leclerc. The attack by the Yemeni Houthi rebels on Friday on a refinery owned by the Saudi oil company Aramco just a few kilometers from the route made it clear to the PS circus that it is not enough to remove one country at war (Russia) from the calendar kick and with another (Saudi Arabia) to pretend that everything is pure bliss.
“I’m happy to get out of here,” said Lewis Hamilton (10th) ambiguously after a failed race. His sarcastic addition: “At least there was no explosion today.” After the attack, the pilots had deliberated until three in the morning. A boycott was in the room, which was averted by the Formula 1 leadership and the Saudi government. The latter tried to convince the drivers of the completeness of their anti-missile defense system, which they had previously overcome.
Gentle pressure
Remarkable: According to the BBC, the Formula 1 entourage was informed about the possible consequences of a cancellation, “for example the question of how easily teams and drivers could leave the country if the race did not take place”. Quite a few saw it as blackmail. There is an incident from 2019 when around 200 members of the US professional wrestling series WWE were stuck at the airport for more than six hours because disagreements with the Saudi organizers about money and TV times are said to have arisen. However, this connection has not been confirmed.
Since the appalling human rights situation in the Arab kingdom – recently there were 81 executions in one day – is no secret, Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali clearly had trouble justifying the race in Jeddah: “Such an important change doesn’t happen overnight, Cultural change takes time, but big events can accelerate positive development.” The argumentative path of the Italian is a well-trodden one. Among other things, from the IOC or FIFA when they defend the Olympic Games in China or the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. “Sportwashing” is the name of the image polish that authoritarian states buy for themselves with the help of sporting events. In the case of Saudi Arabia, it is $900 million that the royal family is giving to the “premier class” for a ten-year contract. Can or does Formula 1 even afford to draw a line here after the cancellation of the Russian GP?
When the Saudi-led war coalition flew a series of airstrikes in Yemen on Saturday, apparently in retaliation, which the Houthi said also killed women and children, the ceasefire signed in 2018 for the city of Hudeida was violated. Since the Houthi attack on Friday was probably aimed at the publicity of Formula 1, it seems as if the presence of the PS circus contributes to an escalation of the Yemen war, which has been ongoing since 2015. One thing is certain: the damage to the image of the racing series, which until recently knelt before every start as a sign of human rights, is fatal.
Source: Nachrichten
