Ben Hunt: Is F1 at risk of being dragged into the race for the White House?

OPINION: Two races in the United States feature in the final six races of the 2024 Formula 1 season, with the first of those coming shortly before a highly polarised presidential election. Recent events suggest F1 may not be able to avoid getting dragged into the debate

Surely nobody is naive enough to believe that sport and politics are not interlinked, especially when it comes to motorsport. Multiple categories now benefit from races or championships that are paid for by governments or regimes.

It could be argued that Formula 1 has always been inexplicably linked to politics, by virtue of its association with promoters or brands as it blends sport, entertainment and business.

For the majority, the issue of politics usually surfaces when drivers are asked about competing in countries that have questionable records on human rights. That level of questioning does not usually extend to European or North American races. However, that could be set to change with two F1 races in short succession in the United States either side of the presidential elections.

The US Grand Prix in Austin will be held on Sunday 20 October, with the Las Vegas Grand Prix set for Saturday 23 November. The election will be held on Tuesday 5 November. When F1 rolls into Texas, there is the potential for it to become politicised, with drivers quizzed as to their opinions on the outcome of the upcoming elections.

While there are currently no American drivers on the gird, their opinions still hold sway. This is because politicians exploit elements of popular culture, be it music or sport.

We have seen in the past how an artist like musician Taylor Swift can have a significant outcome on the vote. Swift's support for the Democrats has been widely acknowledged as a contributing factor to the party's success in 2020. Earlier this year, The New York Times identified that Joe Biden's now abandoned re-election campaign had Swift's backing as its "biggest and most influential endorsement target".

An election after all, is a popularity contest. If you have the support of global icon, say a Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso or Lando Norris, then it is another huge benefit.

It could be argued this is nothing new, for F1 has raced in the US before and it has not strayed into the political discussions. However, all that has changed in recent years, most notably with the world championship having US owners in the form of Liberty Media.

Furthermore F1 is now in vogue in the US, thanks mainly to the Netflix show Drive To Survive. It is now hugely popular and offers the chance for an international perspective on the race for the White House, rather than the opinions of American athletes competing in their respective sports.

We have already seen the political association with F1 this year. The Democrats candidate, current vice president Kamala Harris, said in a recent interview she was a big F1 fan and revealed she watches races with her family.

"It's so good, we love it, our whole family does," she said on a Howard Stern broadcast. "Actually, I haven't been able to watch it recently because I am campaigning, also depending on where they are driving, the time of day, you have to wake up."

Furthermore, Harris was able to identify her favourite driver: "Lewis Hamilton, of course". Then followed her knowledge that "he's leaving Mercedes" before concluding her F1 monologue with "once you start... you should see it, you might get hooked".

Of course, there is nothing wrong with Harris being an F1 fan or indeed a Hamilton fan. However, it does forge a link between the sport and politics.

Earlier this year at the Miami Grand Prix, I watched as Republican candidate Donald Trump was emphatically cheered on the grid by the majority of the crowd. It was striking and mesmerising in equal measure.

The former President was a guest of McLaren and shown around the team's garage. Trump later told Norris he was his "lucky charm" following the Brit's maiden F1 win.

Trump's presence however, sparked a backlash on social media. McLaren responded with a statement saying that it was "a non-political organisation", however it "recognised and respects the office of President of the United States so when the request was made to visit our garage on race day we accepted alongside the president of the FIA and the CEO's of Liberty Media and Formula 1".

And that's the point. For while McLaren were not wishing to show any political allegiance, it had inadvertently been dragged into supporting Trump, prompting the requirement for a clarifying statement.

Now, F1's drivers could be faced with the same situation - and potential consequence - whether they like it or not when they are grilled by the media on the upcoming elections.