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The Aston Martin Formula 1 team says what it calls “appropriate sanctions” have been taken against individuals involved in racist and homophobic abuse of an agency worker who worked for one of the team’s suppliers.
Although the exact nature of the sanctions has not been revealed, Aston Martin said the perpetrators also worked for that supplier but no longer do so and now have no connection with the team.
Adrian Louw, who is mixed raced and holds dual British/South African nationality, publicly revealed the abuse in an interview with Sky News released today.
He has been a composite laminator for the supplier, working there for five weeks starting in February of this year.
“Before even walking into my working environment, that’s when I was told ‘look if you’ve got a problem with how we speak here, it’s just how we speak’,” Louw told Sky Sports News.
“The main perpetrator piped up and the first nickname was *******, that’s when it started. And it went from *******, to *******, I wasn’t referred to as Aidy or anything like that, no, I was called *******, and *******.”
Louw also received homophobic abuse after revealing he had once had a boyfriend.
“I disclosed to someone that I had a boyfriend in my teen years and that was it, done. In that split second everything switched.
“They tackled everything bit by bit, they were clawing away trying to break me down as a man, as an individual, as a human.”
A statement released by Aston Martin to The Race, which referred to Louw as ‘Mr A’, said: “AMF1 and the supplier operate a zero-tolerance policy with regard to racism, homophobia and all types of discrimination.
“We deal with any allegations of such unacceptable behaviour seriously, including thoroughly investigating such claims and sanctioning any individuals who fall short of our standards.
“In this case, Mr A was rightly believed, his complaints were immediately acted upon and appropriate sanctions were imposed in line with our and our supplier’s zero-tolerance policy.
“As a result, the individuals involved no longer work for AMF1’s supplier and have no connection whatsoever with AMF1.
“The whole episode is very sad, but the right actions were taken throughout, as you would expect from a responsible and diligent company such as AMF1.
“We remain in contact with Mr A.”
Aston Martin also confirmed that Louw is no longer working for the supplier.
It stated that he was “dismissed by the supplier after just five weeks, for poor performance and poor timekeeping”.
Aston Martin has a diversity and inclusion policy in place, while driver Sebastian Vettel has been a high-profile and strong advocate for LQBTQ+ inclusivity in recent years.
Formula 1 also has its own diversity and inclusion policy, and in 2020 launched the catch-all “We Race As One” initiative focusing on diversity and inclusivity. Lewis Hamilton has been a powerful voice and actively worked to promote anti-racism and diversity.
However, the F1 world has been embroiled in a series on controversies, most recently with three-time world champion Nelson Piquet revealed to have used a racial slur in reference to Hamilton.
According to Sky Sports News, Louw “has now left the sport”. But he is keen to see change, describing his message as “bigger than me”.
“I don’t want to be viewed as a victim, that’s not who I am but the fact is this [abuse] is not right. It’s not just me that’s the victim, it’s my community,” he said.
“We’re not asking to be given those opportunities, things to just be dropped on our plate just because of ethnic origin or sexual orientation.
“I am not asking for that, nobody is asking for that – we are asking for an equal opportunity. The fact is I know there are kids out there who have got dreams to do this the same as me…and if it’s a lie, then what’s the point?
“There is no sport. It doesn’t matter how many sponsors chuck money into it.
“No matter what the repercussions are, publicly for me, I’m willing to accept because this message is bigger than me.”
