Italian manager and the current CEO of Formula One Group Stefano Domenicali is confident that the new grands prix in Qatar and Saudi Arabia will be able to help drive progress on human rights in these countries. The Gulf states have been criticised for their human rights records but former Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali explained that “shutting countries off” would not have a positive outcome.
“Such an important change cannot happen overnight. It is a cultural change that will take time. But the timing will be accelerated by the fact big events are there. And Formula 1 will play an important role in that respect.” – Stefano Domenicali said, as reported by BBC.
Qatar is ready to host its first Formula One race this weekend, while the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix takes place in two weeks’ time, before the 2021 Formula One championship ends in Abu Dhabi.
The two races are the latest in a series of international sporting events to be held in the fossil fuel-rich Middle Eastern countries.
These include the Fifa World Cup in Qatar next year and boxer Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight title bout with Anthony Ruiz in Saudi Arabia in 2019. And Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund recently bought the Premier League side Newcastle United.
Stefano Domenicali, who was talking in an exclusive interview with BBC Sport, explained that Formula 1’s contracts with Qatar and Saudi Arabia include contain guarantees that the countries must respect human rights in all aspects of their association with the sport. If they do not comply, Stefano Domenicali said, F1 has the right to break its contract with them.
And he said the countries were already taking actions that backed up their claims to be serious about making changes in their societies.
“If you look pragmatically at what they are doing, in terms of for example women, they have women in prominent positions in the organisation, they are working and respecting the regulations. I believe the spotlight we are bringing will be beneficial for the will and the wishes of change that these countries are showing. I don’t believe that shutting countries off and saying we don’t want to be there will help the situation to improve. Actually, it will be the opposite. It doesn’t mean everything is perfect, but for sure what we are doing and what we are signing off is headed in the right direction.” – he explained.
The former Ferrari boss added that Formula 1 had installed independent auditors to monitor the building of the new track in Saudi Arabia to ensure workers’ rights were fully respected.
The event in Qatar this weekend is being held on an existing track, the Losail International Circuit outside Doha.
What do human rights groups say?
Amnesty International said in a statement: “Rich countries in the Middle East have long seen elite sport as a means to rebrand and ‘sportswash’ their images, and the grand prix races in Qatar and Saudi Arabia fit into this mould. Both of these countries have extremely troubling human rights records – from Qatar’s systemic mistreatment of migrant workers and its draconian curbs on free speech, to Saudi Arabia’s sweeping crackdown on human rights activists and the notorious murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In using the glamour and razzmatazz of F1 to try to distract attention from human rights abuses, Qatar and Saudi Arabia will hope there’s little to no discussion of human rights issues around these races – something that must not be allowed to happen. F1, the drivers and their teams should be prepared to speak out about human rights in Qatar and Saudi Arabia in the lead-up to the races, doing their bit to break the spell of sportwashing and its intended image-management.In particular, F1 should ensure that all contracts for these races contain stringent labour standards across all related supply chains and infrastructure development projects, and its spokespeople – from Stefano Domenicali down – should use their influence to push for human rights improvements in both countries.”
A statement from the promoter of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix said: “One of the main aims of hosting this event is to leverage the power of F1 to empower all men and women in the Kingdom and to use it as a means of promoting further progress to unlock the talent and potential of all our people.”
A Qatari official said: “As with other international sporting events hosted in Qatar, the partnership with Formula 1 will support economic diversification, encourage local participation in sport and serve as a catalyst to accelerate reforms. Qatar has embraced the spotlight that comes with hosting international sporting events and is using it to make positive and lasting changes.”
Is it all about money?
Qatar’s deal with Formula 1 is said to be the most lucrative the sport has ever signed, and Saudi Arabia is also paying one of the largest fees to be able to hist the event this season. Yet Stefano Domenicali denied Formula 1 needed to do these deals because of the financial losses suffered during 2020, when the season was truncated by the coronavirus pandemic.
He added: “Money is part of the business, and you don’t have to forget that without big investments you can’t develop the business. That is one thing we sometimes forget – the investments certain countries are putting into our business will be beneficial to all other people and all other countries. People invest because they believe in our product. This is showing how strong is the F1 platform at the moment.”
F1 is said by insiders to be on course to make more money this year than in 2019. Domenicali refused to confirm that, saying that because it is a listed company he “can’t anticipate the results”.
He admitted that “the numbers are looking good” but said this was not solely because of race fees.
“The business model of F1 is not only related to the promoters,” Domenicali said. “It is related to media rights, sponsors, licensing agreements; all these different elements are giving good results that hopefully we can disclose at the end of the season.”
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