Social Media + Representation in Motorsport
The end of June welcomed ‘National Social Media Day’ - admittedly, not a day we knew existed (or was necessary), but it got us thinking. Social media has truly transformed the way we live - without it, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do here at Women of GP, and maybe the girls from On The Chicane wouldn’t have come to be either.
In the summer of 2020, the society-shattering George Floyd riots and the conversations surrounding civil rights and human integrity were plastered on the wall - both virtually and physically. Fast forward to early 2021, where Marium Al-Haq and Paris Albert met online through Twitter. Between the pandemic and busy work schedules, their relationship developed over social media. Marium and Paris felt that they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to continue this international dialogue in their own light as Muslim and Black women, respectively.
On The Chicane was born - a space dedicated to exploring and elevating diverse voices in motorsport that don’t necessarily make it on the front pages. There was a gap in representation from women, from fans to engineers, and the Black Lives Matter movement, which opened this platform for an important discourse to happen in Motorsport.
“This was a platform born out of pure passion, and a place where we can share that passion both for representation and for motorsport.”
All of this is somewhat new in the motorsport world - social media was actually banned in the sport for years, citing traditional values and a respect for it’s staunch heritage. When Liberty Media entered the picture in 2017, all of that changed - the sport was becoming democratized (whether the old guard liked it or not), and a new wave of younger fans flooded the proverbial gates. But because much of F1’s history is rooted in the physical world instead of the virtual one, many drivers, Alan Prost included, felt that social media made the sport too available, especially in regard to fans scrutinizing racers’ performances.
Marium could see where he was coming from. The effect of negative comments and ease of access for fans to negatively judge performances, has and will continue to affect the mental health of those cast in the limelight. Sebastian Vettel is a perfect example - as world champion, he has no social media presence whatsoever so that he can keep his private life just that - private. He serves as a stark contrast to Lewis Hamilton, who uses his fame as a platform to ignite important conversations and amplify awareness to causes such as the Black Lives Matter movement, veganism, global warming, and beyond. So Marium begs the question,
“On one hand, the racers are entitled to their private life and protecting their mental health by not having social media. But on the other hand, do they have a responsibility as world class athletes to use their voice and platform to speak up on these issues?”
Sebastian Vettel champions conversations on these issues on alternate platforms - while he doesn’t have any official social media accounts, he has partnered with the Aston Martin Formula One team to host interviews and film campaigns with a mandate to support the LGBTQ+ community and fostering diversity and inclusion through the team’s official social media accounts. However if you check the comments section of these posts, you will see an extremely divided world between, ‘we are so glad you are supporting these issues,’ to ‘get your politics bull**** out of motorsport.’ (Human rights shouldn’t be a political issue, but we digress).
Paris argues, however, that with a necessary crackdown on harmful behavior on social media, ultimately, it serves as a positive outlet. It connects teams to their fans, and allows both teams and drivers an immediate and personal platform to be vocal on important topics like diversity and inclusion. Not to be overlooked, but it allows for fans who have traditionally never felt welcomed or seen, a space to celebrate their favorite team or driver, for instance.
“We love this sport, but it is such an inequitable sport. Social media makes a difference on how teams are represented, and with it being such a hyperactive space in terms of engagement, there needs to be more progress on teams speaking up about these crucial issues.”
Formula 1’s answer to this? Their ‘We Race as One’ campaign. Launched in 2020, the campaign is ‘aimed at tackling the biggest issues facing our sport and global communities [...] to show that we as a sporting community stand united against racism and are doing more to address inequality and diversity in Formula 1’ (source). While this is an amazing start, a number of voices in this week’s Clubhouse room remarked that the movement felt ‘skin deep’ and almost performative, particularly in light of the news that Formula 1 will be racing in Saudi Arabia this year, a region known for its negligence of women and the LGBTQ+ community.
“Speaking as a Muslim woman who loves F1, I understand the controversy about F1 entering Saudi Arabia - but it is very important that the ‘We Race As One’ message is carried to that country, as it may serve as a much-needed eye opener.” - Marium Al-Haq
“We can’t just clap our hands and expect human decency and civil rights issues to be solved overnight - but what we can do is continue to have these conversations and raise awareness, and it’s important for F1 to champion this movement through ‘We Race As One.’” - Paris Albert
It would also be remiss to ignore all of the action-backed work Formula 1 is pursuing under this banner for equality. The Miami Grand Prix serves as a perfect example - announced this year, the new track welcomes the local community of Miami Gardens, Florida's largest city with a majority African American population (source), to the sport by supporting local businesses and launching a STEM education program in local schools to establish accessible resources to develop and foster talent in underrepresented communities. Public commitments like this from Formula 1 indicate that the needle is moving forward in the right direction, and spurs the much-needed conversations that are mainly being conducted on - you guessed it - social media.
We were lucky enough to be joined by humble voices outside of Paris and Marium from all walks of life. A young lady from Latvia voiced that conversations like these were stifled in her community, as they are taught that those who seem ‘different’ are wrong - and seeing a sport that she loves speaking about these issues has opened her eyes to a world beyond her hometown. A young man from a conservative family in California shared a surprisingly similar story - his views and values have shifted dramatically in recent years because of people like Lewis Hamilton sharing their stories and struggles through social media. We can’t say for sure if Formula 1 knew the scope and reach they were tapping when they delved into the world of social media, but by utilizing these global, virtual platforms, Formula 1 is providing fans the ability to not just enjoy the sport, but an exposure to different perspectives, and in turn, fostering a fan base and pool of fans that are not the traditional faces: whether they are female, a minority, disabled, or a member of the LGBTQ+ community. This hits a personal note for us, as we all fall into at least one of these categories.
So, what’s next? What can we, or Formula 1, do to facilitate real change?
Marium says she would love to see more representation from TV presenters in the sport. SkySports, the major network showcasing F1 in England, has welcomed incredible female speakers in past years, but there is rarely anyone of color featured. Paris agrees - there is a significant lack of people of color in the media presence, and even when there are black people, they are usually mixed race or ‘light skinned,’ leaving a gap for darker people of color to be represented on these channels.
Beyond the media, Lewis Hamilton is currently the only racer of color on the grid - and there are no people of color in the upcoming talent pipeline to represent the black community once he leaves the sport. A bolstered pipeline for underrepresented communities needs to happen now if we are going to continue the fight for diversity in the sport. Entering school systems, like the Miami Grand Prix program, is vital to build a pipeline - the sport needs to be unafraid to diversify the face of motorsport and hopefully, inspire a new generation of motorsport talent.
By hosting these conversations on Clubhouse, on social media, and at the dinner table, and by asking these tough questions, we can facilitate true change. And in the end, that’s our greatest goal here at Women of GP.
