To think that F1 is adopting a quasi-religious mantra in “WeRaceAsOne”?

[Notjustanymum]

As a long-lapsed RC, I recall that one of the central ways of proclaiming your religion was the chanting, in unison, of prayers, particularly the Creed or Credo, in a public place (Church). This always made me cringe inwardly, as I felt that God* would know if I was just saying it, rather than meaning it, so felt it was said out loud just to make others a. Feel a part of the community, b. Allow particularly nasty holier-than-thou’s to spot if you weren’t word perfect and c. To enable those with a particular bent to become holier-than-thou on all things proving your allegiance to the Catholic faith.
*if one exists...
Feeling uncomfortable with the conformist leanings of this practice was just one of the many reasons I lapsed, basing my dislike of this on generally patriarchic directives that I felt were several centuries out of date...
However, in 2020 and again in 2021, The F1 drivers now all seem to chant their own creed, in the guise of “WeRaceAsOne”, before each and every race on TV.
I really detest this; I wonder if they are all joining in of free will, and I hate the correlation with community prayer that talks about their beliefs (as sportspersons) in this way, just like reciting a creed communally indicates that it’s something everyone should join in with.
It’s almost as if, like with formal prayers said within the Mass, by not joining in vocally, you’re in the wrong or at least being disrespectful...
I have no objection to the statement being written on the website as a mission statement for the sport for anyone interested in what it’s all about, but just having to listen to it chanted before each race puts me right off.
Does anyone else feel this way? I’m aware that my feelings around religion and conformity might be a bit unusual (but that’s because of my experiences in life)

YABU - it’s harmless
YANBU - it’s performance preaching

@CommanderBurnham there's a black engineer at Red Bull, but point taken.

It's pretty obvious F1 as a whole has a lot of deep rooted issues. Racial equality is one, but there's also gender equality, money for seats etc. The FIA have a long way to go. I think LH is doing a great job but as a PP said, he is one person. Being the only black driver on the grid does not make him responsible for representing or fixing every inequality or problem within the sport. I agree that We Race As One comes across as the FIA paying lip service and I've no doubt if it was being championed by someone who wasn't a very popular 7 x WC, they would likely have ignored it. But on the whole it is needed, it's creating a conversation about a hugely important human rights issue and that has to be a good thing.

LH could do so much more if he paid tax!
He was able to fulfill his ambitions by help from this country but now he won't contribute to helping other young people to do the same.

Agree @lawandgin but i fear that by paying lip service, F1 thinks they've done their bit, which is the real danger of tokenism.

Absolutely agree re: sexism, but I think the biggest barrier to entry to F1 is lack of money. It still remains a sport for rich kids, or someone who can get a sponsor, or in Lance Stroll's case, both.

Also, LH made it his cause. I don't see anyone telling him to be responsible for taking on the racism issue. He went on record to say that he felt he had to speak up. As far as I know, he wasn't asked by anyone to take on that role. I get that he felt he has to do something in the light of BLM but in my view, he was already doing it, by being black and being a 7 time world champion. He is living proof that you can be the best and black, and that's what his mantra has always been, to believe in yourself, whatever the barriers.

We watch F1, I don't object to "we race as one" but it does come across as pointless virtue signaling.
I'm not sure if getting USA coverage we are missing the bit where they explain what they are doing?
We just get drivers giving slogans.

@CommanderBurnham - Correction - LH made it the cause of F1 not just HIS cause.
There are women in F1 teams. There have been women in the most senior roles in F1. There are women in F1 and prior to her tragic accident it was very very likely that there would have been a female F1 driver with Maria Di Villota.
It's not just about race it's about equality too.

Oh, and Stefano Domenicali who took over from Chase Carey as the CEO of F1 has indicated that F1 will race on the continent of Africa within the next 5 years. It's in the first 18 seconds of this video:

I cannot stress this enough thought - it is not down to one person, LH, to fix this. It takes all of F1.
I cannot stress this enough though too - there is a lot of misinformation and anger and not enough education about what F1 is trying to do to level the playing field.

I don't agree with them doing the following:

• racing in a country where women are second class citizens and treated as such.
• racing in countries where human rights violations are happening and happening on their watch. It shouldn't all be about the money but unfortunately it does come across as if it is about the money. The FIA would say that by travelling to these countries they are highlighting the injustices so that the powers that be can do something about it by enforcing trade embargoes or similar.
• employing a driver who grabbed a woman's breast, posted the video to social media and the team seems absolutely powerless to do anything (Haas, I'm looking at you) because daddy is controlling the purse strings. I think Grosjean and Magnussen had a lucky escape when their contracts were not renewed. I wouldn't want to be tainted by association. The same driver is dangerous on track and even his teammate thought that his driving in Baku was dangerous but they seem utterly powerless to do anything about it.
• I don't agree with the any flag being part of a car's livery, but it is.

The FIA can't just replace a driver with another because of the colour of their skin to be seen to increase the quota of black drivers, so they are trying to improve things by starting at the grass roots level and bring up more drivers from every level and background.

LH made it the cause of F1 not just HIS cause

He doesn't own the sport though. He shouldn't have so much influence. He's just a driver. Imagine if he (or any other figure) started to vouch for something you did not agree with and bully everyone so that they started to chant and publicly advocate for the cause as well?

No individual figure should be allowed to seize a sport like that. That's what's wrong IMO (not the spirit of what they are trying to do)

@mustlovegin

LH made it the cause of F1 not just HIS cause

He doesn't own the sport though. He shouldn't have so much influence. He's just a driver. Imagine if he (or any other figure) started to vouch for something you did not agree with and bully everyone so that they started to chant and publicly advocate for the cause as well?

No individual figure should be allowed to seize a sport like that. That's what's wrong IMO (not the spirit of what they are trying to do)

He's not 'seizing' a sport. He is very aware that he doesn't 'own the sport'. He is however at the TOP of that sport and has been for some considerable time now as Driver Champion so he is using his position, his hard earned position, to highlight a GLOBAL issue and because F1 is a global sport it is getting traction and the other drivers in the paddock have no issue in agreeing that Black Lives Matter and that they Race as One and all of the other catchphrases that are currently being used to highlighted these global issues. There is nothing wrong with the top sportsman or woman in their sport using their position to highlight injustice and global issues and then to set up a commission to do something about it. Believe me, if the other 19 drivers in the paddock thought that they were being forced to say something that they don't believe in, they wouldn't.

This entire thread has a very VERY clear streak of either closet-jealousy of LH and how he has become the person he is or that it is just a hatred of him and what he is doing now that he is 7 times World Driver Champion and knighted to boot! He can't do right for doing wrong it appears.

@CommanderBurnham

I totally agree.

I'd much prefer LH to actually DO something. Maybe go to underprivileged areas, like his hometown and set up a karting school. Give examples of racism and call them out. As far as I'm concerned, F1 crosses a lot of racial boundaries as it is an eclectic mix of places and individuals.

Drivers like Alonso who has a karting school are actually doing stuff, not whingeing and whining.

I have so much respect and admiration for LH's driving but as a person, he comes across as a proper whinger, who is looking for a cause to latch on to as he knows he needs to give back but doesn't know how.

Hamilton has done plenty (other than his racism campaign) on poverty, environment, street kids, even nhs free meals but he is still at the height of his career, where as Alonso is at the end of his.

LH has incredible self belief, more than anyone in F1 maybe MS had more?, so i think this can come across as arrogance.

But i don't think raising awareness of issues is in anyway whinging.

Saint Lewis the champion of underprivileged black communities? Fuck right off. He’s a tax dodging billionaire.

He’s so sanctimonious. No one watched F1 for a lesson in equality - it’s all about the super rich, glamour and racing fast cars.

@EverdeRose

I can't think of many sports where individual race is celebrated as much as in f1. Drivers come from all over the world, they race under their nations flag and if they win the national anthem is played.

People from different backgrounds need to be encouraged into the sport, but from what it's more about the money in your pockets then the place you were born or the colour of your skin.

You probably also don't believe in white privilege.

@mustlovegin

LH made it the cause of F1 not just HIS cause

He doesn't own the sport though. He shouldn't have so much influence. He's just a driver. Imagine if he (or any other figure) started to vouch for something you did not agree with and bully everyone so that they started to chant and publicly advocate for the cause as well?

No individual figure should be allowed to seize a sport like that. That's what's wrong IMO (not the spirit of what they are trying to do)

Ah of course how dare a young black man have any influence, he's just a driver.

Ah yes the quasi religious virtue signalling all part of public life now. It's meaningless.

Of course those that disagree with the chanting etc will be cancelled and subjected to abuse on Twitter or other social media platforms as will all of those who aren't virulent 'anti racists', performance vegans, have pronouns in their bio or make regular utterances where white is used as a pejorative. If you haven't pulled down a statue recently, well then, you're clearly a capitalist, Tory, animal murdering, globalist, colonialist, homophobic, biphobic, transphobic. MAP phobic, generally phobic monster who should be 'educated' until you know all the right words to say at all the right times to appease then mob. You're probably a Karen too. Even more reason to silence you, the chanting should help drown you out.

Doubtless Lewis will preach on and on and on but he won't bother to pay tax in the UK. Why doesn't he go and sweat his bollocks off in Tanzania quietly building schools and hospitals or vaccinating kids in India? Or give his huge wealth to the poor? Because you don't get the woke points for doing good deeds especially quietly. Much better to have the monotone chanting that achieves precisely nothing because if you've got lots of followers or a large audience that is what counts these days.

Terrific driver of course, all respect to him there. Eventually he will retire and it will all be quietly shuffled off having effected no real change.