Lando Norris says he “can’t accept doing nothing” in place of Formula 1’s now dropped pre-race moment marking social issues and expects drivers to “make sure there are things in place”.
What began as an organised display of solidarity against racism on the grid before the national anthem ahead of grands prix in 2020 was adjusted last year into a more open-ended part of F1’s We Race As One movement against social injustice, with drivers allowed to continue kneeling if they wished or to draw attention to other causes.
That pre-race moment has been cut altogether for 2022, with F1 chief Stefano Domenicali saying he wanted the championship to switch focus from “gesture to action” and “not have to do politics”, instead putting emphasis on meaningful work F1 is doing to help under-represented groups in motorsport.
A video message in support of the We Race As One causes will still be broadcast pre-race, but the removal of the grid gesture has angered and “surprised” Sebastian Vettel.
“The issues that we’re tackling are not going to be gone within two years. And therefore I was a bit surprised,” the Aston Martin driver and four-time F1 champion said at his team’s 2022 launch this week.
“I hope that as drivers, we find a way to get together and find a slot of still expressing topics that are important to us.
“Probably not all the drivers care, but I think there’s some that really do care.”
McLaren racer Norris agreed that F1 drivers are likely to push to ensure they still have a way of expressing public support for social causes.
“It’s something that we will speak about as drivers, something we’ll speak about with Formula 1,” he said when asked about Vettel’s comments by The Race.
“I’m sure it’s something they are thinking of. I hope so anyway, to make sure we make the most of our opportunities as F1. I’m sure they haven’t done it [removed the grid moment] for nothing.
“We’ll make sure there are things in place. I definitely support Sebastian on the side of, it’s worth doing things, whether it’s just before the race or at other times throughout the weekends.
“Definitely I can’t accept doing nothing.”
Norris said “more and more” drivers have been keen to use their profile and the F1 spotlight to “make the most of the opportunities we can have to speak about whatever matter it is”.
And while he agreed that this could have a wider interpretation than the full field taking the knee on the grid, he underlined that F1 drivers didn’t want to lose the platform for highlighting social issues that the pre-race moment had offered them.
“What we do as a group in terms of taking the knee, it doesn’t have to simply be that,” Norris added.
“I think there are other ways to go about things, to stand up for whatever the matter is, to inspire kids, to raise awareness of issues and different matters.”
