F1 outlines vision for second year of We Race As One initiative with goals for 2021
Scheme to focus on three key areas moving forwards: sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and community; F1 chiefs to talk to drivers and teams ahead of the season about how pre-race ceremony will be used
By James Galloway
Last Updated: 10/02/21 5:55pm
F1 has outlined its vision for the second year of the sport's We Race As One campaign, with drivers to again be given time to show support for key issues ahead of races.
F1 launched the programme for the 2020 season, with a particular focus on the coronavirus pandemic and issues of global racial injustice.
For 2021, that programme will be expanded to focus on three key areas: sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and community. In a statement, F1 said that "these areas are a priority for the sport where progress has already been made but with more commitments to be delivered in coming months and years".
F1 chiefs will speak with drivers and teams before the season to discuss how they want to use the period before races to show their "united support for important issues".
Last year drivers gathered at the front of the grid wearing anti-racism T-shirts, while 13 of the 20 also regularly took a knee.
"Our WeRaceAsOne platform was very effective at raising the awareness of socially important issues and our steadfast commitment to make a positive change," said F1 president Stefano Domenicali.
"We are very proud of it and the teams have embraced it fully. While our commitment through words to tackling issues like sustainability and diversity in our sport are important, it is our actions that we will be judged on.
"We have already made good progress on our sustainability plans and you will see strong actions being executed this year across all three of our WRAO pillars. We know we must continue to move forward on these issues and the whole sport is united in doing this in the months and years ahead."
F1 has set the target of becoming net zero carbon by 2030, while it has committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive culture in the sport.
Among its aims for the coming year, F1 plans to create "a clear path towards sustainably fuelled hybrid engines", ahead of the next big engine regulation change in the middle of this decade, fund scholarships for engineering students from diverse and underprivileged backgrounds, and to grow the profile of the all-female W Series which will feature at eight race weekends in 2021.
We Race As One will now serve as F1's long-term Environment, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) platform for Formula 1.
