An advert for Carlos Sainz Sr’s kart circuit which featured a man wearing blackface has triggered a barrage of outrage on social media, with thousands calling for Ferrari F1 driver Carlos Sainz to lose his place on the grid.
The advert depicts the “Three Kings” at the Madrid-based kart circuit, with one of them wearing blackface.
READ: Alex Albon To Compete In DTM Alongside Red Bull Duties
While this is undeniably insensitive and deeply offensive, it’s important to realise that Carlos Sainz almost certainly had no involvement in the production of the advert, as the circuit is owned by his father, not him.
Furthermore, at this point, it’s unclear if Carlos Sainz Sr even had any involvement in the making of the ad and the controversial decision for one of the actors (who’s almost certainly an employee of the circuit) to wear blackface, as he’s currently competing in the Dakar Rally.
Worryingly, some F1 fans have even suggested that Carlos Sainz should be punished even if he didn’t play a role in the making of the advert.
In other words, some people genuinely believe that it is fair to punish him for someone else’s actions.
Before making this point, please just imagine how ludicrous it would sound if someone were to suggest that criminals’ kids should also have to serve their prison sentence with them.
In the past, I have been critical of people slamming “cancel culture” within F1.
For example, when people tried to make this argument with regards to the Nikita Mazepin groping scandal, I was vehemently opposed to this claim.
However, today’s events – particularly the thousands of tweets slamming Carlos Sainz and calling for him to lose his seat at Ferrari after decades of hard work – show that a growing portion of Formula One’s online community is a bit too eager to “cancel” people, without even trying to first make sure they fully understand the situation.
I urge everyone, particularly younger fans who are still fairly new to the sport, to not be so quick to “cancel” someone and to instead seek out all the facts before posting a tweet and trying to end someone’s career.
READ: ‘Haas Did Exactly The Right Thing’: Ex-F1 Driver On Nikita Mazepin Groping Video