Pierre Gasly put his name to a column denouncing France’s potential shift to the far right of the political spectrum if Marine Le Pen were elected president of the republic on Sunday, April 24.
After drivers nearly boycotted the recent Saudi Arabian GP, GPDA chairman Alex Wurz said Formula 1 has seen a very rapid change in which drivers have become active and openly political.
“The transformation of young people taking on this responsibility is impressive”, he said.
So in the midst of the intense French presidential election campaign, in which a victory for Marine Le Pen seems possible, dozens of French athletes have put their names on a letter in support of Emmanuel Macron.
It was published by Franceinfo and the newspaper Le Parisien, where they clearly expressed their desire to “block far right”†
Pilot AlphaTauri is one of the signatories, who believe that “voting a party that jeopardizes Republican values would be the worst remedy”† They call for “stop extreme right” by voting for Emmanuel Macron in the second round of the 2022 presidential election.
This is the column in question:
“I declare the Paris Games open in honor of the 33rd Olympiad of the modern era.” With these words, it is up to the next head of state to officially open the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
This Friday, July 26, 2024, at the end of a historic opening ceremony on the Seine, between dozens of heads of state, in front of athletes from around the world and billions of viewers, the one chosen on April 24 will be the embodiment of the country in the eyes of the world. A few weeks later, he or she also opens the Paralympic Games.
We French athletes from all walks of life and all disciplines cannot imagine this historic moment being marked with the seal of a far-right presidency.
Being fully aware of the difficulties many French people are going through, we are convinced that voting for a party that would endanger republican values would be the worst remedy.
The sport we believe in, that of the values of Olympism, is made of friendship and respect; it is the place of diversity. He rejects all discrimination. All over the territory, in our cities, our suburbs and our countryside, sport is a powerful tool against exclusion.
In these uncertain times, it is a rallying point. This is the case when an entire nation remembers that it is ONE by vibrating in unison behind the exploits of its athletes.
It is because we believe in this sport, brotherly and inclusive, that we are committed to preventing our nation from being led by a president who embodies the exact opposite, the stigmatization of the other, the withdrawal in oneself, nationalism. And that is why we call for voting for Emmanuel Macron on April 24.
