In an update to the International Sporting Code for the upcoming 2023 season, F1 drivers will be forbidden from making “political, religious and personal statements💦” without the FIA’s permission.

The likes of Hamilton and fellow multiple world champion168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: Sebastian Vettel, who has since retired from F1, have regularly used their platform toꩵ make statements and wear t-shirts b𝔍earing messages before races. 

Hamilton has previously raised concerns about the location🌞s F1 races in, with the likes of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar an🔯d Abu Dhabi all strongly criticised for abuse by human rights organisations. 

Ali ♊Alhajee, who previously wrote to Hamilton ahead of last year’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix explaining how he had made a difference and inspired prisoners, has once again reached out to the Mercedes dri꧒ver. 

Alhajee has asked H൩amilton to continue to take a stand despite being made a “primary target” of 🍃the FIA’s new rule. 

"I would like to share with you the disappointment I felt after learning that political and religious statements were banned by the FIA; a decision that, in my opinion, perpetuates a policy which muzzles drivers and who makes you 𝔉its primary target,” he wrote. “I therefore ask you to fight this policy.

“What makes you stand [out] from other F1 drivers is that you go beyond the circuit ꦆtrack by acting upon your passion for protecting the rights of others. What I felt from your words and actions in previous F1 seasons gave me, and other prisoners of conscience in Bahrain, a glimmer of hope.”

Alhajee also criticised FIA president Mohamm✱ed Ben Sulayem, adding: “I know that the president is an Emirati and one of his vice-presidents is a Bahraini, both of whom belong to regimes whose prisons are crowded with prisoners of conscience and human rights defenders."

FIA accused of 'suppressing drivers' 

It comes after the FIA were accused of “suppressing drivers’ freedom of speech” by the Bahrain Institute for Rights aᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚnd Democracy (Bird). 

According to Reuters, Bird director Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei wrote in a letter that the FIA’s move "appears🍨 to be a reaction to drivers, in particular Lewis Hamilton, raising their cꦏoncerns about the locations chosen for F1 races, including the human rights records of host countries, and making powerful interventions where your own organisation has been silent.” 

Alwadaei added Hamilton has “used his platform to express support for Black Lives Matter and human rights in countries with probl✤ematic human rights records, including Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.”

He continued: “Throughout his career, none of the statements Hamilton has made can be considered any more political 🎃than the decision by the FIA to withdraw from racing in Russia in the last season due to its invasion of Ukraine. 

"In you🌟r own statement last year, you condemned the Russian invasion and expressed 'sadness and shock' for victims in Ukraine. While I applaud this statement, it is clearly a politic𒅌al one.”

Alwadaei issued a further statement to BBC Sport, which read: "When the FIA and F1 choose to grant races to some of the world's most repressive regimes, like Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, they are facilitating sports-washing and allowing these dictatorships to lau✨nder their horrifying rights records.

"It is seriously disturbing to see the FIA now mimicking the tactics of its despotic business partners by attempting to muzꦬzle the voices of critics and adv𓃲ocates.

"Where the FI🤡A and F1 failed, it was drivers💫 like Lewis Hamilton who stood up and called out abuse, and his vocal support for political prisoners in Bahrain shed light on appalling injustice.

"Now, the FIA wants to silence him and others, and punish them ൩if they dare to speak out. We are saying to Mohammed Ben Sulayem that this policy is wrong and itꦉ must be reversed immediately."