Miami Grand Prix Organizers may not have allowed presidential candidate Donald Trump to host an event high-dollar fundraising campaign on his Formula 1 event, but that didn’t stop Trump from making a grand entrance on race day. The former president apparently asked to visit the McLaren Racing garage. The race Reports, and McLaren accepted this request. Big Don posed with CEO Zak Brown, chatted with future race winner Lando Norris and toured with FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei. Apparently this isn’t considered “political.”
You see, Formula 1 is notorious for this forbidden “political, religious and personal statements” by its riders, unless those riders have received prior approval from the sport. This is because drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel wear t-shirts with supposedly political expressions, such as: “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor.” and “Save the Bees.” Restrictions apply when riders are on the track, including during pre- and post-race activities.
“McLaren is a non-political organization, but we recognize and respect the office of President of the United States. When the request was made to visit our garage on race day, we accepted, along with the President of the FIA and the CEOs of Liberty Media and Formula 1,” McLaren said of Trump’s visit. “We were honored that McLaren Racing was chosen to represent Formula 1, giving us the opportunity to showcase the world-class engineering we bring to motorsport.”
However, Trump’s appearance is likely to raise many questions about what Formula 1 considers “political”. Of course, a garage tour and photo op doesn’t constitute an explicit endorsement of a political candidate — but how else are viewers supposed to simultaneously understand Trump’s presence in his campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again?” How are we to understand the circuit’s commitment to providing a VIP experience and multiple PR appearances to a man running for office again? Warning of possible violence If he is not re-elected, who will be in the crisis? Hush money trialwho hoarded boxes with me classified information after leaving office?
Motorsport is inherently political, and Formula 1 is particularly so thanks to its wide international appeal and acceptance of funding from government bodies in countries such as Saudi Arabia. All racing teams also engage in political maneuvers to advance their sporting ambitions. This is an undeniable fact.
What is most concerning about Trump’s appearance at the Miami Grand Prix, however, is the repeated claim that his presence signals no political intent. It does. A politician who comes to an event is political, whether it is a speech or a sporting event. A sporting event that provides a fantastic experience for a presidential candidate is a political act.
This is not the first time Formula 1 has taken a deeply hypocritical stance towards political statements at and around its events, but it raises deeper questions for Formula 1 to address when it comes to “political” statements of drivers. After all, it’s very hard to understand how a t-shirt can be more political than a literal politician.