Dan Istitene – Formula 1 / Formula 1 via Getty Images
- A four-time F1 world champion has criticized the sport’s organizers after Qatar was accepted.
- Sebastian Vettel said those responsible for the sport should ask themselves if they have morals.
- His comments came days after the sport awarded the Middle Eastern nation an unprecedented 10-year deal.
Four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel has criticized the top runners in the sport after a race in Qatar was added to the calendar.
Last month, Qatar was awarded a 10-year contract, an unprecedented length not even granted to historic tracks like Silverstone and Monaco.
Qatar’s inclusion on the F1 calendar sparked a new debate about frequent visits by the sport to states with questionable human rights outcomes.
Qatar has been widely accused of human rights abuses against the large population of migrant workers in the country, and Human Rights Watch describes the community as “abuse and exploitation”.
In response to the inclusion of the Qatar race on the F1 calendar, Vettel said he had concerns about the direction the sport is headed.
“I think the problem is that a sport, and it’s the same as a country, is ruled by individuals.” he told Motorsport.com.
“Individuals have individual opinions and backgrounds, whatever, so of course it’s difficult.
“But we have to find the perfect people to run our sport and then go on the right path for the future.
“There is more than that interest, there is obviously a huge financial interest in going on.”
The Aston Martin driver has been pictured this season in shirts promoting causes he believes in, such as LGBTQ rights, anti-racism movements and environmental concerns.
Sebastian Nogier – Pool/Getty Images, Florion Goga – Pool/Getty Images und Mark Thompson/Getty Images
“I think at some point you have to ask the question and those responsible have to ask themselves: Do you have a moral?
“Is that why you say no to certain things? Or are you just saying ‘yes’ to every big thing that is around the corner, but for the wrong reasons?
“I think that’s the big picture that those responsible ultimately have to ask.”
Some issues are “too big to be neglected,” said the former Red Bull driver.
“I think we can all agree that it’s only fair to treat people equally – and it doesn’t matter where they’re from,” he said.
“I can’t speak for all countries and be an expert because I don’t know. But of course there are certain aspects in certain countries that I think I know about.
“We go to some of these places and roll out a huge carpet with nice messages on it. But I think it takes more than just words, I think it takes action. “
Florion Goga – Pool/Getty Images
Vettel also called on the sport to think about how it could do more for a good cause.
“I believe that our sport could put a lot of pressure on and could be of immense help to spread this fairness even more around the world.
“Because in the end I don’t think it’s right to judge people or apply certain laws and differentiate people just because they happen to love a man instead of a woman or a woman instead of a man.”
Read the original article on Insider
source site
–
