#i hate to bring politics into f1blr fandom spaces but also like

[wisteriagoesvroom]

this isn’t even hate— but when you add in the context that trump is in the middle of campaigning for an upcoming presidential election and he’s wearing a campaign slogan with pictures with the f1 winner, its a little different than an oil sponsor. Not to mention a fundraiser would actually create discomfort at the actual race event for fans, etc

Obviously I know there’s so much wrong with these sponsors/sport but Trump is a political symbol for so much hate for many Americans (the literal audience for this race) and completely unassociated with providing financial support to f1. “Virtue signaling” is interesting way to respond to criticisms of him being here

unfortunately, believe me, i know the context - i wish the rest of the world didn't know the american political context tbh but we're all beholden to the moves of the US, much as i wish we weren't.

he’s wearing a campaign slogan with pictures with the f1 winner, its a little different than an oil sponsor

is it? is it not just about how confronting that imagery is? degrees of complicity we're prepared to accept as audience members? rather than the base issue i was talking about, which is that ultimately f1 is a dirty sport and the faster we (or in this case rather, specifically me) can accept that and stop pretending it is, the better time i'm gonna have?

i think that's what made kate wagner's article an uncomfortable read for a lot of fans tbh. i'm sidetracking here but the point i'm thinking about a lot is that interpersonal relationships and triumphant moments happen in f1 despite this great machine, and not because of it. that's the joy i'm chasing/reclaiming as a fan i guess.

my initial disappointment that orangeman was there was quickly followed by a "well why am i even surprised...". this is overall more a critique and self-reflection of damn, why do we – myself included – get swept up in the marketing.

i also question why discomfort comes up more in the context of trump's cap and political slogan and not ar*mco's greenwashing or as a political vehicle of soft power (extract below from their public listing/IPO):

or the fact that we still have tobacco sponsors under a cuter guise. again, i'm not saying it's a zero sum game of "who's worst", but rather if we are frank this sport causes huge degrees of cognitive dissonance if we look too closely, and the powers that be absolutely know what they're doing to try and gloss over that.

and, tbh, i am out here in the hypercapitalist landscape 3 hours late to log in to do my job. but! i just think it's funny that the FIA chose to draw the line here so as not to alienate its US audience (i.e. revenue base, which they are actively trying to court).

FIA doing what it did re:trump box fundraising is virtual signalling in my opinion.

that's my opinion, as a random person on the internet trying to process their feelings about the sport. discomfort is an interesting word you use because it caused me discomfort too and it's interesting to examine why that is, and the answer will be individual to everyone.

and! don't get me wrong! it's not going to stop me from writing rancid fanfic (i may in fact be encouraged to be worse).

but my post was more about where the FIA publicly decides to draw a line. and it's interesting that it was only a line when it threatened their american audience acquisition plan.