Formula One drivers will meet with the Speed Car Racing Department next weekend on the sidelines of the Australian Grand Prix to express their concerns about the Saudi Tour, the newspaper reported.The Guardian“.
And the British newspaper said that the head of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, Alex Wurz, had informed the Formula One management that drivers would not remain silent on race accommodation issues after they were considering a boycott of the last Saudi race.
“We can see that the sport has gone through a very rapid change over the past few years,” Wars said. “Issues like racism and black lives matter have already emerged.”
And he continued, “Before, drivers were seen as athletes who do not participate in politics, but that is over,” adding: “In the past two or three years, these young people suddenly came to the position that they should have an opinion and that they should also speak up.” express their views and deal with their responsibility towards it.”
Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the Formula One race, in addition to other major sporting events, has long been the subject of great controversy, as the Gulf kingdom has been criticized and accused of “sports laundering” by non-governmental human rights organizations against the backdrop of its human rights record.
On the other hand, Saudi Arabia believes that attracting these demonstrations enhances its position on the global map and contributes to achieving its vision of moving away from oil as the only source of income.
A missile strike 10 kilometers from the Jeddah Corniche circuit, one day before the start of the tour, led the drivers to agree to cancel the race, according to “The Guardian”, which indicated that they were “finally appeased” to accept participation.
An Aramco oil facility near the Jeddah circuit was attacked by the Houthi group in Yemen on March 25, one day before the start of the Saudi tour, which is considered the second in the Formula One season, which led to fears of running the race for drivers.