Albon on FIA's political statement ban: 'We're all concerned'

Williams charger Alex Albon says the FIA needs to provide clarity on its crackdown on political statements and free speech in motorsport, insisting the topic is a concern for all drivers.

At the end of last year, the FIA amended its International Sporting Code which now includes a provision that bans drivers from expressing or displaying "political, religious and personal statements", unless previously approved by the governing body.

F1 fans denounced the move which they say is aimed at Lewis Hamilton who, along with the now retired Sebastian Vettel, used F1's platform as to highlight injustice, inequality or climate change issues.

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen called the new policy unnecessary while Valtteri Bottas also went on record to criticize the governing body's censorship.

"I’ll be honest with you, I haven’t spoken too much to the grid about the situation," commented Albon, speaking on Monday at the unveiling of Williams' 2023 livery.

"We’re all concerned. I know that between F1 and FIA, it’s trying to get everything together within the same form of communication.

"At the minute, there’s a little bit of confusion."

Read also:

• Verstappen: FIA ban on political statements 'a bit unnecessary'

Albon feels the FIA's policy and principle of behavior must clearly state what will and won't be allowed in terms of free expression by competitors.

"That’s actually one of the main things I took from it, the clarity of the situation," he said. "It seems quite a broad subject, and as we know, politics and stances, it’s a very sensitive area.

"We need clarity from the FIA on what they’re trying to tell us. From a personal side, it is somewhat confusing actually.

"We were very much for ‘WeRaceAsOne’ and all these kind of situations. Now it seems like the FIA are trying to go away from that.

"We need to see, it’s clear that we need to be open in dialogue about what they’re trying to do. But of course, we need to be able to speak freely to some extent.

"I’m sure we’re going to get clarity later over what they’re really trying to say by a statement or release."

Albon feels that drivers have a responsibility to speak out on political issues in order to bring them to the attention of the sport's fans and of the broader public.

"The engagement that we have to our fans and to people who watch F1, a lot of people come to us and look at us as spokespeople for issues around the world," added the Williams driver.

"I do feel like it’s a responsibility for drivers to make people aware of these situations. It is a beast, it is hard as drivers to see what they’re trying to say, but let's see."

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