70 replies to this topic

[Kingshark]

Formula 1 isn't football. We're blind to skin color, or at least I hope we are.

[saudoso]

Unfortunately successful drivers will bring the football hooligans from said driver's country into the stands to cheer like it was.

[Tenmantaylor]

Formula 1 isn't football. We're blind to skin color, or at least I hope we are.

Not typical but F1 is not immune either.

[uffen]

Former world champion Jody Scheckter is African. Not sure of his current citizenship but he was South African when he won the title.

[Dzeidzei]

Did they have a legitimate driving license(some got theirs without turning a single wheel. The same happens illegaly in the southern part of Italy sometimes)?
Anyway I got mine in Africa when I was 18 years old after months of study of rules, car driving and car mechanics.

Dunno to be honest. Id guess they need to have a Finnish driving licence.

Most Africans have very little experience of ice and snow, that is obvious

[SUPRAF1]

The only color Bernie cares about is green.

[BRG]

There doesn't seem to be any overt racism in athletics, where Africans have been a very powerful force for decades. Perhaps back when the first few African athletes appeared internationally there was prejudice though? The first 'different from us' person will always attract attention and not always of a pleasant sort. Sadly, that seems to be an aspect of human nature, be it about skin colour, gender or whatever. Hopefully, as far as F1 is concerned, Lewis H. has taken most of the flak and his successors will be accepted more readily.

And it's great to find that we have some African members of the forum - the more the merrier!

Edited by BRG, 13 May 2013 - 18:13.

[schubacca]

To be honest, I would be more excited to see an African engineer design a WCC car than a continental African win a WDC.

[Skinnyguy]

My guess is that has much more to do with ravalry against Alonso/Ferrari then any specific racism. If/when Ferrari ever sign Alonso I am sure the Italien fans will embrace him with nothing but warmth.

I´m Spanish and I have to say I share the perception that southern Europe countries are overall more racist than northern ones. Sure there are idiots everywhere, but I think sadly we still have some more amongst ourselves down here.

[uffen]

To be honest, I would be more excited to see an African engineer design a WCC car than a continental African win a WDC.

As Jody Scheckter is African, I believe Gordon Murray was African as well. Murray designed some beautiful, race winning cars.

[Boxerevo]

The only color Bernie cares about is green.

[Oho]

I´m Spanish and I have to say I share the perception that southern Europe countries are overall more racist than northern ones. Sure there are idiots everywhere, but I think sadly we still have some more amongst ourselves down here.

Well, as far as western European countries are concerned as far as I can tell elites in pretty much each and every one of them think the general population, sans non western immigrants, of their respective countries are the most racist people in the world, well apart form Swedes, Swedish elite thinks Swedes are the second most racist Finns being absolutely the most racist.

Quite frankly even in the seemingly racist slurs I doubt the issue often is racism as such, its more personal race being the obvious soft spot, like well being fat or wearing glasses, or being of short stature or what ever.

[Andrew Hope]

There are far more people who would get on their high horse and blame any criticism of a black driver on race than there are fans who actually based their criticism on race.

[Ze Bum]

Not typical but F1 is not immune either.

The situation is actually rather good if people have to recycle one "carneval" picture for years and years.

[Ramses1348]

To be honest, I would be more excited to see an African engineer design a WCC car than a continental African win a WDC.

Isn't Rory Byrne South African? And honestly I don't understand why it would be any more exciting. People who care so much about where people come from are part of the problem in my opinion

[Disgrace]

No, I wouldn't accept an African driver. I wouldn't accept a black/female/gay/white/brown/orange/cyan driver, just because he/she was black/female/gay/white/brown/orange/cyan. I don't give a heck as long as they are up for the job. Asking such question is a bit racist in my opinion.

It should be, but society as a whole hasn't reached that point yet. We've only just got the point that sportsmen are coming out (followed by swift retirement) and it's headline news.

[Tsarwash]

Isn't the issue of Black Africans succeeding into F1 more of a financial one than anything else. I imagine that it is probably a lot harder to get the breaks and get noticed if you are in Africa rather than in Europe (which no matter what Bernie might say, is still the home of F1.) I have no idea what kind of racing series infrastructure there is in Africa, but just to get noticed I bet that an individual is going to have to be pretty exceptional.

[stanga]

The situation is actually rather good if people have to recycle one "carneval" picture for years and years.

Remind me to cross Spanish 'carnevals' from my bucket list.

But yes, it's good that we have only one example.

[HaydenFan]

Isn't the issue of Black Africans succeeding into F1 more of a financial one than anything else. I imagine that it is probably a lot harder to get the breaks and get noticed if you are in Africa rather than in Europe (which no matter what Bernie might say, is still the home of F1.) I have no idea what kind of racing series infrastructure there is in Africa, but just to get noticed I bet that an individual is going to have to be pretty exceptional.

Even in a country where there is a decent racing structure in South Africa, you noticed most drivers leaving to start their car careers or even during their karting careers to Europe. There is some decent rally history in Africa, but even many of those guys never leave the continent.

I don't think where your from makes a difference in terms of getting noticed by the top teams. African drivers who want to race in F1 have to do that same thing that Asian drivers, American drivers, and Australian drivers have to do. They have to move to Europe. And to get to the next level they need to produce in terms of results and budgets that their European counterparts have to do.

It's just where the money come from.

[AlexS]

In portuguese colonial times in Africa there was a great deal of automobile sports, for example the 6 hours of Nova Lisboa(now Huambo)






Answer to the OP:
If he doesn't come because of an inversed apartheidesque quota from victimihood political complex most people will have no problem.
But a minority will always be against.

There doesn't seem to be any overt racism in athletics

Athletics are historically less team fanboys(read tribal) sport. You don't have hooliganism in Athletism. It cames with territory. Pun intended.

That is one reason why i think some of racist chants in football are more tribal and made for provocation than ideological racism.

[HaydenFan]

In portuguese colonial times in Africa there was a great deal of automobile sports, for example the 6 hours of Nova Lisboa(now Huambo)

Along that line, Angolan oil compan Sonangal has been had a presence in the last few years in junior formula motorsport. Not only backing Angolan drivers Ricardo Teixeira in GP2, F2 and Duarte Ferreira in Indy Lights. Both Portuguese drivers but running with Angolan licenses, but the company also backed Superleague Formula in it's final couple of seasons.

You also had a few drivers from the British colony of Southern Rhodesia.