Daniel Ricciardo, Renault, Sochi Autodrom, 2020

Speaking out against racism felt “daunting” at first – Ricciardo

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In the round-up: Daniel Ricciardo talks about the importance of being willing to face some criticism in speaking out against racism.

What they say

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The Renault driver, who has swapped the leopard print mask he sported at Mugello for one printed with the word ‘equality’, said silence on issue of racism is a big part of the problem:

This weekend, the equality mask – I don’t think that’s too offensive or strong, I’d like to think it’s fairly well-received on all platforms.

But I think just talking about Black Lives Matter and even referencing a black person as a black person, saying these things now, out loud, for sure we didn’t really have that much comfort talking about it. I didn’t have much comfort talking about it at the start of this year.

So to start talking about things you’ve never spoken about before, whether it’s on racism, whether it’s on mental health or any of these subjects, it is a little bit daunting and you have to be prepared to open yourself up for a little bit of criticism – or maybe not 100% positive feedback.

But I think if it’s something that you feel strongly about and you believe in then I don’t see why not. I think that, especially with the racism stuff, a big problem is – as I guess you guys have seen now and understood – it’s the silence and it’s the people who are too comfortable in their shell, in not speaking up and I think that’s the thing, just encouraging you if you do have a voice and a positive one then let it be heard.

Quotes: Dieter Rencken

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Comment of the day

HAL muses on the combination of business, sentimentality, results, prestige, and family ties which have come together to cost Sergio Perez his drive at Racing Point:

Perez’s frustration is very understandable.

He did a great job and did not deserve to loose his seat and he is out right at the moment where the team is getting places and set for great results.

It must be more painful even if Perez’s ego is often reported as pretty big. But honestly, the team’s decision make sense. They are not ditching Perez because they want to replace him. They’ve jumped on a sudden opportunity to hire a four-time world champion and therefore have to release a driver.

Sure, Perez is arguably performing better than Stroll. But we know the story and Stroll is doing quite decently this year, so it’s not as if this was a wasted seat. He is still very very young (In fact he probably came too early in F1), so him and Vettel make a good duo I suppose. Seems Lawrence Stroll is a smart guy who knows how to build a project.
HAL

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Author information

Hazel Southwell
Hazel is a motorsport and automotive journalist with a particular interest in hybrid systems, electrification, batteries and new fuel technologies....

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27 comments on “Speaking out against racism felt “daunting” at first – Ricciardo”

  1. Profile Photo

    hunocsi (@hunocsi)
    27th September 2020, 0:18

    I read about the Prema penalty on another site, and apparently the decision was that the TP wasn’t in breach of the rules, but from the pictures seen on the broadcast he could have been seen as breaching them, so they were handed a €10k fine. However I did not see the race, can anyone who did and knows what exactly happened explain it to me? Did he run over to the mechanics and got among them during the pit stop, or what?

    1. Profile Photo

      Hazel Southwell (@hazelsouthwell)
      27th September 2020, 0:49

      @hunocsi it wasn’t shown on broadcast, to my knowledge but the story is that Rosin signalled and gestured at the mechanics rather than using radio via the mic’ed up people in the mechanics, which is not allowed.

      1. Profile Photo

        ColdFly (@)
        27th September 2020, 8:08

        I assume that the rule allowing only 12 ‘operational’ people per team is part of the COVID-19 measures in F2. @hazelsouthwell

        What do the other teams want? Increase the €10k fine, or should there be a sporting penalty for the team and drivers? That would be opportunistic IMO.

  2. Profile Photo

    Jason Blankenship (@jblank)
    27th September 2020, 2:47

    I love Danny Ric but what racism? There is not one iota of evidence that any of these controversial actions were done because of race…..zero. Definitions of words have been so changed that just something like a black man being legitimately shot by police is now “racism” and then here comes the BurnLootMurder group, to destroy.

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      Carlos Medrano (@carlosmedrano)
      27th September 2020, 2:55

      Its honestly hilarious there are people still denying the movement. Let me guess during the civil right movements you would have been the type of person that said mlk is just trying to cause riots

      1. Profile Photo

        ajpennypacker (@ajpennypacker)
        27th September 2020, 5:04

        Well, while there is definitely a racism problem in America (it’s mostly America). @jblankhas a point that there is no transparent evidence that most (not all) of those incidents of police brutality were motivated by racism. We’re to the point where if any black person gets brutalized by police we assume 100% of the time that it was motivated by racism. That’s not right either is it?

      2. abananasplitz
        27th September 2020, 6:52

        if you cant see the dif between MLK and BLM you are a sad lost cause, and i look forward to shooting you when you riot and try to take my property.

        1. Dave
          27th September 2020, 7:22

          but don’t kill him, mate.

          1. abananasplitz
            27th September 2020, 10:09

            i wouldnt dream of it, first ill let him bleed out and suffer then maybe ill call an ambulance when he starts going into shock.

      3. Profile Photo

        ColdFly (@)
        27th September 2020, 8:14

        Let me guess during the civil right movements …

        I guess @jblank was too busy celebrating Apartheid during that period.

        1. Profile Photo

          Jason Blankenship (@jblank)
          27th September 2020, 15:11

          I’m still waiting for evidence that race was a motivational factor. @coldfly. Let me know when you find that evidence.

          1. Profile Photo

            ColdFly (@)
            27th September 2020, 18:10

            I won’t do anything for you other than share my views of you(r outragious comments) with others.

    2. Profile Photo

      Hazel Southwell (@hazelsouthwell)
      27th September 2020, 9:07

      @jblank

      Oh come ON. Don’t play silly here – multiple white mass killers have been brought into police custody alive but a black woman is shot in her bed and it’s not even considered excessive force? That is the very definition of structural racism.

      Racism is not as simple as defining people as racists or not, it is about the structural disadvantages – which include fatal consequences for people of colour in the US and across the world. I and the other people opposing that situation do not want to live in a world where that is the case, we are just asking for it to be better.

      Read some literature, read some theory, inform yourself, stop speaking over people who experience these issues to comfort yourself – literally what Daniel was talking about.

      1. Profile Photo

        sebsronnie (@sebsronnie)
        27th September 2020, 9:37

        Thanks Hazel.

      2. Profile Photo

        Rhys Lloyd (@justrhysism)
        27th September 2020, 9:57

        @hazelsouthwell well said.

      3. Profile Photo

        Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
        27th September 2020, 10:05

        +1 well articulated @hazelsouthwell

      4. Profile Photo

        Jason Blankenship (@jblank)
        27th September 2020, 15:13

        Show me evidence that racism is what led these officers to commit these incidents. Don’t give me the leftist, critical race theory crap that is pseudoscience, give me evidence that is supported by actual facts, I will wait.

  3. David Bondo
    27th September 2020, 5:55

    Danny Ric should speak out about how the Russian and Chinese government operate while he’s feeling brave, not just a hot button issue pushed by the the likes of Facebook, Apple, Google, Spotify, etc.

    1. Profile Photo

      bosyber (@bosyber)
      27th September 2020, 6:22

      From his words, he can, and clearly has, witnessed racism, discrimination against LBQT+ and others, so that is what he agrees to speak against.

      In Russia, there is such discrimination, from laws, thus equality is actually a strong message , though very Russian, with deniability built in (which I think is good, allowing FIA to support it while not getting in overt trouble,, but everybody, well most then Bondo, seeing it for what it is).

      The message isn’t all that different towards China though with F1 not driving there this year, they can ignore it, but you know they are certainly aware.

    2. The long drop
      27th September 2020, 7:48

      Why? Because it would suit you? Your response is the lazy reaction of many who don’t like a message or a protest: dismiss the messenger because they aren’t protesting something else as well.
      The ‘Equality’ Message applies to Russia too. A place where homosexuality can get you into trouble and criticising Putin can get you shot on the street, or a dose of novichock, no equality of political thought here . Probably not much anti-black racism though given that there are hardly any Black people living there, some thecommenters here would probably like living there (assuming they don’t already)

    3. Profile Photo

      ColdFly (@)
      27th September 2020, 8:18

      I read his Equality statement as much more than solely against racism.

      He might have kept a low key on the full meaning or his bedside bottled water might disagree with him.

  4. Profile Photo

    Jere (@jerejj)
    27th September 2020, 6:46

    I didn’t expect there to be a link to the WRC website as this site has never had anything WRC-related on a round-up before, so slightly weird, especially since the most recent event was last weekend.

    1. Profile Photo

      ColdFly (@)
      27th September 2020, 8:20

      WRC is a great form of motorsports IMO.
      I have it second on my list after F1.
      Please share more on this site!

      1. Profile Photo

        Jere (@jerejj)
        27th September 2020, 9:54

        @coldfly I also have it second to F1. I’ve followed it for as long as I have followed F1.
        @hazelsouthwell Fair enough.

    2. Profile Photo

      Hazel Southwell (@hazelsouthwell)
      27th September 2020, 9:02

      @jerejj I follow WRC (so hard I have driven in a van to Sweden to live in it for the rally) and thought it was a really interesting breakdown of what happened last weekend, while Le Mans had most of our attention so figured it was very much worth including

    3. Profile Photo

      Qeki (@qeki)
      27th September 2020, 9:54

      @jerejj I faintly remember reading some WRC news here but only once or twice. It still is a great series but of course some will say “back then it was better” but there are still a few manufacturers and rising talents in there which keep it interesting. Still it is good to see rally news more often. I think after F1 it is the next series which I follow more closely

  5. Colly
    27th September 2020, 7:41

    Well said Daniel Riccardo.

Comments are closed.