An interesting stat popped up this week via the Guardian’s weekly, but never weakly, sports quiz. They asked: “Las Vegas will host a Formula One Grand Prix next season. What will be unusual about the race?”
The answer is that it will take place on a Saturday and not a Sunday. When was the last GP held on a Saturday? Thirty-eight years ago in SA at Kyalami in 1985. It was a controversial GP, to say the least, as F1 was finally forced to confront that there could be no normal sport in an abnormal society.
No normal sport in an abnormal society remains a truism, particularly today, though some in the governing party seem to have forgotten that as the rest of the world uses sport as part of their armoury in ensuring Russia faces real consequences for their war in Ukraine.
Former SA president Kgalema Motlanthe, a wise head in a fracturing party, on Wednesday said he felt Russia’s “invasion” of Ukraine should be “condemned”, according to News24.
Motlanthe, who was speaking at a webinar for the Centre for Development and Enterprise, then flip-flopped on his condemnation by questioning Fifa suspending Russia from all international competitions.
“Fifa suspended Russia because of its invasion, meaning the separation of sport and politics is called into question,” he said. Condemn in one breath, confuse with the next, and forget a vital part of the battle against apartheid and how sports isolation damaged the image of normality the National Party wanted to portray to the world.
Formula One, a sport that these days has little bother racing in the lands of despots and human rights abusers, was one of the last sports to join the boycott of SA. The 1985 race was the last SA GP until 1992 and 1993.
The French Renault and Ligier teams boycotted the race because of their government’s ban on sporting events in and with SA. Frenchman Alain Prost still came to a race won by Nigel Mansell with Keke Rosberg in a storming romp to take a 1-2 for Williams. Enzo Ferrari said his team would boycott if McLaren boycotted. There were still constructors’ championship points up for grabs and the prize money that came with winning it.
The SA government were also offering huge tax breaks. Money spoke louder than morals. A few drivers spoke up, with the great Ayrton Senna the most significant: “I am personally against the regime. I would not like to go there, but I have a commitment to my team.”
Except for James Hunt. He was co-commentating with Murray Walker from the BBC studios in England. They did not actually travel to many races then. Hunt would not have travelled to SA in any case. He was strongly against apartheid.
“We were once covering the SA Grand Prix during the days of apartheid. All of a sudden, and for no particular reason, he launched into an attack on apartheid,” Murray Walker told the Daily Mirror. “It was nothing to do with the Grand Prix, nor would it do British-SA relations any good. Our producer pushed a piece of paper across saying: ‘Talk about the race!’ And then James blurted out on air: ‘Thank God we’re not actually there’.”
During apartheid Steven Burkeman used to organise “discreet meetings in central London for wealthy individuals and foundations wanting to support black-led groups working for change [in SA]”, he told the Guardian.
“The meeting had just started when the doorbell rang. A vaguely familiar-looking chap apologised for being late and asked if he could park his bike in the hall. It took me a while but eventually the penny dropped. Hunt was by then commentating on Grand Prix racing, alongside Murray Walker. He didn’t want his commentaries broadcast in SA, and when they were, he channelled his fees towards groups struggling for change there.”
This week the chair of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, Alex Wurz, said F1 drivers would no longer stay silent on issues around the places they race in and the actions by those countries.
“It really came to the surface with the issue of racism and with Black Lives Matter. Before, drivers were seen as sportspeople where the position was: ‘I am a sportsperson, I am not getting involved in politics.’ That time has really gone,” said Wurz.
That time should have been gone 38 years ago, when Hunt and Senna were the lone voices against an evil regime. It should be the norm to speak against the evil governments, sponsors and leaders that carry out and then host an event that is tainted by blood, war and human rights abuses. Perhaps that time has finally come.
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