Formula 1’s prominent pre-race anti-racism stand, vocally supported by the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo, will be replaced by an unspecified show of support for “important issues”.
Last year, F1 launched its #WeRaceAsOne initiative to recognise the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and also the surge in anti-racism protests around the world, most notably in the United States.
A rainbow comprising the colours of the 10 teams was used as the symbol for the initiative, and F1 introduced a formal pre-race End Racism display after criticism from Hamilton and others that its initial ceremony at the season opener had not been followed up well enough.
That gave drivers the chance to ‘take the knee’ in a united display against inequality and although not every driver took that specific action, all 20 willingly participated in that pre-race show of support until the end of the season.
F1 has now issued an updated mission statement for its #WeRaceAsOne initiative, removing the rainbow logo and replacing the devoted End Racism moment with a place in the schedule for action that is yet to be defined.
It is possible drivers will still be able to make this an anti-racism display but it is unclear if they will have free choice at each race, or if F1 will pick a specific topic each time.
“We plan to include a moment before the start of each race this season to show our united support for important issues and will be discussing this with the drivers and the teams ahead of the start of the season,” F1 said in a statement.
All of F1’s environmental and social campaigns and projects will move under the #WeRaceAsOne banner, focusing on sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and community.
That includes the target of achieving net zero carbon status by 2030, diversifying personnel in the championship and among its participants, and “identifying and systematically eliminating barriers to entry from grass roots karting to Formula 1”.
Adding the female-only W Series to the package at certain races, introducing apprenticeships and internships for underrepresented groups, and growing the F1 in Schools programme are all part of F1’s wider plan.
“These areas are a priority for the sport where progress has already been made but with more commitments to be delivered in coming months and years,” F1’s statement added.
New F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said: “Our WeRaceAsOne platform was very effective at raising the awareness of socially important issues and our steadfast commitment to make a positive change.
We are very proud of it and the teams have embraced it fully.
“While our commitment through words to tackling issues like sustainability and diversity in our sport are important, it is our actions that we will be judged on.
“We know we must continue to move forward on these issues and the whole sport is united in doing this in the months and years ahead.”
