The CEO of Formula 1, Stefano Domenicaliis accused of being “arrogant” as well as having a “lack of professionalism” for not responding to concerns about the category racing in countries with poor human rights records.
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The assessment comes from the British politician Paul Scriven, Liberal Democrat, during a debate on so-called ‘sportswashing’ in the House of Lords, this Thursday. He said he was motivated to say this by Domenicali’s lack of return.
Scriven is also vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Democracy and Human Rights in the Gulf and has repeatedly spoken out against F1 racing and testing in Bahrain.
In the Lords debate, Scriven named four protesters who he said were “arrested, threatened and verbally abused” after holding a protest near the Bahrain circuit during the 2023 GP.
This occurred despite Domenicali ensuring that “individuals should be able to protest and criticize the event without intimidation or reprisals”.
It is said that these four citizens were then subjected to “harassment” in 2024, including raids on family homes, police summonses and, in one case, an individual was “tortured and interrogated blindfolded” in a detention that was “strategically scheduled to coincide with the F1 tests… to silence all protests.”
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Scriven says he has contacted F1 – including on two occasions last month – about races being held in states with human rights issues and about the “lack of due diligence carried out by F1 about where they race”.
However, after a meeting in 2018, he claims not to have been recognized by Domenicali. Motorsport.com found that this is disputed by F1, which responded to Scriven in 2023.
Scriven called out F1 CEO Domenicali’s “arrogance, lack of professionalism and lack of involvement”, adding “his leadership of F1 is damaging the reputation of his sport as he refuses to engage with the issues surrounding of F1 and human rights.
“He thinks he can simply collect £574 million from the Bahraini authorities until 2036, which makes him and his organization richer, without having anything to do with the real problems his sport is in. helping cover up in Bahrain.”
While F1 was the main focus of the debate, state-backed ownership of Premier League football clubs and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar were also cited, as well as Saudi Arabia’s support of professional golf and the ATP tennis. Scriven also cited McLaren’s ownership by Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund.
In a statement provided to Motorsport.com, F1 commented: “For decades Formula 1 has worked hard to be a positive force everywhere it races, including economic, social and cultural benefits.
“Sports like Formula 1 are in a unique position to cross borders and cultures and bring countries and communities together to share the passion and excitement of incredible competition and achievement.
“We take our rights responsibilities very seriously and set high ethical standards for counterparties and those in our supply chain, which are enshrined in contracts, and we pay close attention to their adherence.”
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