Lewis Hamilton says boycott F1 as Jeremy Corbyn signs open letter to FIA boss

Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton has been told by Lord Scriven, Deputy Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Democracy and Human Rights in the Gulf, that it would be 'correct' to boycott the Big Ones Price unless F1 chiefs put in place a new framework to restore the sport's human rights image.

Former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn is among a group of eight MPs to sign an open letter to F1 boss Stefano Domenicali and FIA President Mohammed bin Sulayem on the issue this week.

Sports governing bodies are accused of 'sportswashing' as the season is due to start in Bahrain this weekend, two weeks before a trip to Saudi Arabia. Both countries have been criticized for their poor human rights records and Hamilton has previously spoken out to call on sport to address the issue.

"Lewis and others would be right to say that unless F1 and the FIA ​​put in place a framework in line with the UN Guiding Principle on Business and Human Rights, that he and the other drivers would feel uncomfortable racing,” Lord Scriven said on Tuesday. "And unless that framework is put in place, they would seek not to run.

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"They could increase the pressure, both in terms of highlighting the topic, but also getting the dinosaurs of their sport's managers and administrators to put the correct framework in place so that there is an approach systematic legal of how F1 and the FIA ​​decide where to race."

The open letter sent by MPs accuses F1's governing bodies of refusing to engage with human rights groups, while calling on them to use their platform to try to free the political prisoners in Bahrain.

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"Human rights and F1 can go hand in hand, and it's a shame that the current leaders of F1 and the FIA ​​seem to think that money, profit and their own importance are far more important than giving dignity and basic human rights to people in the country they benefit from,” added Lord Scriven.

This time last year, Hamilton was asked about a 12-year-old from Bahrain who had sent him a drawing in the hope that the seven-time world champion might draw attention to his father, who was on death row in the country.

Hamilton acknowledged that he "can't solve the problems alone", adding: "I haven't seen the drawing, but every year I get letters from those who are hurting and all I can do , it's doing my best to sympathize with those who meet these challenges and have these tragic stories to tell.

"We come to these beautiful places and there are challenges everywhere. No country is perfect, but...