| F1 teams such as Honda Racing and McLaren Mercedes have backed the campaign with a link to the website (www.everyrace.net) displayed prominently on the home pages of their own websites. Similar support has come from Formula One Management with a link on the homepage of the official website of the FIA Formula One World Championship.
FIA President Max Mosley said: “One thing that most attracted me to motor sport was that nobody cared about your background, race, gender or religion; all that mattered was how quick you were.”
Formula One Management CEO Bernie Ecclestone said: “The sport is all about a driver’s ability and this will never have anything to do with their race or the colour of their skin.”
McLaren Group Chairman and CEO Ron Dennis added: “We applaud the FIA’s decision to launch an anti-racism campaign and we will support it in whatever way we can.”
This backing has already encouraged thousands of fans from all over the world to visit the campaign website and pledge their support for the message that motor sport welcomes everyone, irrespective of gender, race or background.
Ferrari driver Felipe Massa said: “The whole Formula One community should get behind this campaign. Formula One is a global sport and we should use it to promote equality wherever we can.”
Teammate and reigning Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen added: “Since I started in motor racing I’ve worked with people from all over the world. We are all here to go racing and prejudice will never play any part in that.”
The EveryRace campaign was launched in response to incidents which occurred during Formula One testing at the Circuit de Catalunya on 1-2 February 2008, where McLaren-Mercedes driver was racially abused by a small section of fans.
Spanish motor sport’s governing body Real Federacion Espanola de Automovilismo (RFEA) presented a comprehensive report to the FIA, which confirmed that a small number of spectators, amongst the 35,000 attending the test, had displayed racist behaviour.
Lewis Hamilton condemned these actions as wholly contrary to the principals of the sport. He said: “I believe that motor sport, like all other sports, is about freedom of expression in the pursuit of competition and excellence. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Renault F1 Team Managing Director Flavio Briatore added: “The EveryRace campaign launched by the FIA is a great means to raise awareness. Formula One is a global and multi-racial sport, there is no place for prejudice.”
The FIA has monitored the measures recommended and implemented by RFEA and the Catalunyan circuit authorities since February and has noted that no further such incidents have occurred. The FIA also agreed with the RFEA assessment that the people involved in these incidents were “not at all representative of the thousands of people who enjoy a convivial atmosphere and the spectacle offered by motor sport.”
The FIA is now set to roll out this campaign in its other World Championship events over the course of the 2008 season. |
