WHEN SPORTS AND POLITICS MIXED! The Story of the 1985 South African Grand Prix

[@johnkluge3421]

Today they have F1 races in China and Saudi Arabia. Politics may mix with F1 but consistency and integrity, not so much.

[@Davitron_87]

F1 fans - “Saudi Arabia bad. Teams and drivers should boycott the race.” Also F1 fans - “Politics should have no place in sport.”

[@GreenHornet553]

There's a difference between political pandering and actually taking a moral stance on an issue. Saudi Arabia is a legitimately awful country that uses F1 as well as Newcastle United to sportswash its image and make it seem better than it actually is. Especially in the aftermath of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi on the orders of Muhammad bin Salman.

[@sergeantsupreme4395]

@@GreenHornet553 But they're both still responses to a political issue no?

[@GreenHornet553]

@@sergeantsupreme4395 not necessarily. One is lip service and the other is actually taking action.

[@adem1781]

You are talking about the difference between Good fans and Verstappen fans.

[@ivaneurope]

Then again, Formula One has been turning blind eye on South Africa all those years til 1985. Or Spain during the Franco years, Portugal during the Estado Novo regime, Brazil under the millitary dictatorship in the 60's til the mid 80's or Argentina during the Peron years and later the millitary junta that started a war with one of the if not THE world's greatest naval superpower over some islands. In other words do not think that Formula One being in bed with bloody regimes in the Arab World, or China, or Russia is any recent phenomenon - F1 has visited countries with sketchy human rights record for decades

[@bengym21_]

Anyone remembers James Hunt’s mid-race rant about Apartheid from BBC Grand Prix from this race?

[@craiginjapan36]

And speaking of Hunt, he hated them using his commentary in South Africa. The local tv station would ask him to sign a waiver for his commentary when, according to Murray Walker, James said he’d do it “for the usual thousand pounds”. He reportedly donated the money to anti apartheid groups.

[@johnkluge3421]

I can't see that happening today. If Martin Brundle went on a rant like that about China, he would be fired on the spot and never allowed to broadcast again.

[@AidanMillward]

@@johnkluge3421 Hunt probably wouldn’t have got away with it now either. No internet, easier to hide.

[@speedweenie7394]

Legend.

[@johnkluge3421]

@@AidanMillward That is very true.

[@gpcronje4581]

As a South African, I can't wait for F1 to come back.

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

As a Brit, I've been constantly nagging for it. I can't get over how many Middle Eastern countries have one when there isn't a *single* one on the African continent. It's a bloody disgrace if you ask me. But then nobody does...

[@calvinv3478]

I’d love it as well… at Kylami

[@MrSniperfox29]

@@y_fam_goeglyd Because there's no tracks that classed as being capable of running an F1 event, even Kyalami is only ranked grade 2. Now there was some rumours that the owner is prepared to spend the money required, but until that happens there will be no race there.

[@Realtime1501]

@@MrSniperfox29 he is will to spend the cash if he gets the government's support in an F1 bid

[@MrSniperfox29]

@@Realtime1501 Yup, so we will see but given the current climate, I doubt that will happen but who knows

[@tHebUm18]

First time commenting: storytime is great Aiden, keep up the good work! As a kid/teen I used to be firmly in the camp of "I don't care about your political opinions" about sports and celebrities in general, but a decade+ ago I heard an argument that stuck with me: most people who decry it are mostly just jealous they don't have a platform--no one cares about their probably racist or [insert other cause] dissenting opinion on the matter and that makes them mad about it more than anything else. There's outliers of course--people with a platform using it to talk about things they know nothing about, but many causes are pretty cut and dry. I've only recently got into F1, but it's definitely been a juxtaposition hearing stories about F1 protesting apartheid while adding more and more races in countries that execute people for being homosexual and the like. Like many things in modern times, ditched the moral compass for dolla dolla bills. Graceland is fantastic and I didn't know the backstory so thank you for educating me and setting my soundtrack for the evening.

[@rrr43875]

More like, "sport and politics I don't agree with don't mix"

[@MrSniperfox29]

Interestingly, the 1985 race was won by Mansell in a Williams 1-2 with a McLaren in third. When they returned seven years later in 1992, Mansell again won a Williams 1-2 with a McLaren again in third.

[@MrZane-bl8qm]

The matrix...

[@MrSniperfox29]

@@MrZane-bl8qm The 1992 race saw two Renault engined cars and a McLaren fill out the podiums. In 1993 the podium saw two Renault engined cars and a McLaren.....

[@adampetten5349]

Berger or Senna? Patrese in Rosbergs place...same generation as Keke.

[@MrSniperfox29]

@@adampetten5349 1985 - Mansell, Rosberg,. Prost 1992 - Mansell, Patrese, Senna

[@adampetten5349]

@@MrSniperfox29 well said my good man!

[@chrisbloom382]

Members of Ladysmith Black Mambazo used to be customers in a shop I worked in, in the early 90s. Such humble and unassuming guys.

[@King_Ears]

Loving the quality of your recent releases. Firing them out thick and fast at the moment as well. Top work

[@mrkipling2201]

I remember the rebel cricket tours of the 1980's. England toured South Africa in 1982 and the players who travelled and played were banned from test cricket for 3 years. The West Indies sent a team to South Africa in 1983 and 1984, and many of their players were shunned and made outcasts for the next 30 years or so. England also sent a team in 1990, just before Nelson Mandela was released from prison. The anger of the South African public was so great that the England team had to leave the country without playing a game.

[@GreenHornet553]

I would argue that there's a difference between actually taking action against an entity like apartheid South Africa and paying lip service which is what F1 is doing now. It's one thing for a corporate entity like F1 and Liberty Media to use current movements as nothing more than a PR ploy. It's another when you have conviction and take legitimate action like Balestre, Ecclestone, and the teams in F1 took a stand to an entity like apartheid South Africa and send the message that they weren't going to participate in sportswashing the reputation of that awful nation. If F1 actually had the balls to stand on principle today, they wouldn't be racing in the middle east where homosexuality is a crime, Russia where domestic violence is now a misdemeanor (yes that actually is a thing), or better yet considering returning to China where the Uyghurs are being persecuted for being Muslim. It's one thing to pay lip service, it's another for F1 to put its money where its mouth is.

[@AidanMillward]

Yes, apartheid bad and needed to be stopped and they boycotted the hell out of South Africa and rightly so. The point I was making with some of this video is that people are acting like things like we race as one and politics in sport is a new thing, when really it’s been going on forever. I guess when hands get tied as soon as money gets involved they don’t bother, or they just try to make it go away with a bit of lip service. At least people like Lewis with his commission or whatever it is and Vettel doing the stuff in Hungary and Saudi is a start.

[@adampetten5349]

Although they call it systemic...current racism is trickier. It's not a policy...it's subtle and to be honest sometimes invented. Poor white druggies have been killed by brutality. This doesn't mean there's no bias. The 5% of millennials in the U.S. who oppose their relative marrying a black man is an historic low but still a lot of people. If only 40% to 50% of that group are obnoxious alt righters they can cause a lot of problems. Similarly under real Jim Crow only 7% of Deep South blacks and 70% of whites voted. Comparing modern voting restrictions to Jim Crow is a bit histrionic when 90% of adult blacks have a drivers license vs. 94 % of whites. The laws are unfair and waiting in line 12 hours to vote is inexcusable...but it's nowhere near Jim Crow. I don't know if Lewis could buy voting booths like Schwarzenegger, but he could give money to that.

[@balljointfd3s]

@@AidanMillward Except "We Race as One" was entirely lip service with nothing to back it up. It reminds me of those joke pictures from the US where a B52 Bomber under a Republican lead government looks simply like a B52 Bomber, where the Bomber under a Democrat lead government had a Rainbow Flag and BLM poster on it, both were still dropping the same bombs on the same countries. Also, to compare Apartheid to the killing of George Floyd (where racism was never even proven to be a factor) which restarted the BLM movement (which started in 2013 by "Trained Marxists" (the founders of BLM's words, not mine)) Is a insane comparison. Do we need police reform in the US, yes! Did we do that? Well the evil Republicans tried to pass a police reform bill but the Democrats blocked it! Use a tactic called the Filibuster which the Democrats in the US now call "Racist". So yeah, I'm happy as hell to see this "We Race As One" BS end because they never actually cared and it was just Lip Stick on a Pig fake!

[@kekolber868]

@@balljointfd3s You know what else was purely symbolic? Freedom Riders. Woolworth's lunch counter sit-ins. 1963's March on Washington. I could go on. I'll let the rest of your racist screed speak for itself.

[@bumfarto2019]

@@balljointfd3s Jesus you sound deranged lmao. Also lol at the “trained Marxists” ah oh no the big scary marxist is here to redistribute everyone’s wealth 😂

[@taufiqutomo]

"Wait, it's all politics?" "Always has been."

[@BOABModels]

I feel that many of the people who complain that 'politics and sport shouldn't mix' either have extremely short memories or no memory at all and a complete inability to learn. You just have to look at how many football fans are willing to overlook or even excuse human rights abuses in certain counties just so that they have a few more million in the transfer window!

[@matiasfpm]

Yup. 1978 for example. But still. Irony in many ways

[@Romit12]

Saudi Pro League moment.

[@Slider5320]

Politics will always mix with Sport. Sport is a reflection of our society. If society has a problem, it will come out in sport. Whether or not people like it, that is the reality. I would have agreed with a South African boycott during Apartheid. I think using sport to help expose the problem and send a message puts pressure on those who have the power to make change. It’s not always nice, but there is more to sport than just medals and trophies. Sport is part of what makes us human, and it’s important not to neglect the human side of sport. If there is a problem with racism in the world and drivers want to take a knee I’m all for it.

[@edalder2000]

"Graceland" is an all time album. It gave a human face to folks who never would have gotten attention otherwise. Art and Food are great ways to learn culture without political underpinnings.

[@jorgealainr]

Would love to see more sports and history videos like this one!

[@alexcarolan8825]

I recommend the South African movie "Stander". True story about a South African police chief turned bank robber.

[@sophialennox1153]

I just wrote a paper on this for my South African History class at university!! I think it’s a super interesting topic and I’m happy to see you made a video on it!

[@TheRealHoltzy]

I hope you included the fact that the modern Holocaust is happening there. If not, both you and your professor need to go to South Africa and look around

[@andyholmes7901]

A fascinating video, totally agree with you on the Paul Simon thing (and the album). This thing of sports and politics goes back forever (sorry to bring up 'pre history' you age moaner, Olympic boycotts, Zola Budd.....) the thing is when those with control want Politics involved it is, when anyone involved like sports people want to involve Politics in their lives they need to shut up and keep Politics out of it (taking the knee, Marcus Rashford, drivers being un happy about where their contracts make them race), its always been a load of bollocks... but as always well thought out, cheers (really like your intro music btw)

[@darrendred1]

Politics is everyday life and affects every person on the planet. Believe it or not, people participate in sports, hence politics will always be in sports. Get used to it. The media want sportstars thoughts on everything, so its here to stay. It's nothing new, it was always around

[@AidanMillward]

There was also the game of football played on Christmas Day in 1914. Sport unites people like nothing else, maybe music I guess. If sport can make people forget about blowing each other up for a few hours, it can be used for other things.

[@mrkipling2201]

Zola Budd got even more grief, being accused of deliberately tripping up the American darling, Mary Decker, during the 1984 Olympic games. 1500m wasn't it??

[@msing400]

Well done, mate! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@wolfsruhm]

Aiden shows his music chops today once more, nice

[@brucepocalypse4109]

So glad I found your channel love the content you serve us!

[@minibus9]

great video, agree with you, spots and politics have to mix, there are many other examples of this, in motorsport more genrally there is the safety aspect, Switzerland for example banning most types of motorsport after the 1955 Le Mans dissaster comes to mind imedately. Politics and sport has also mixed in all other sports for decades including motorsport

[@ianwynne764]

Hello Aidan: I really like your taste in music. That Paul Simon album made some black musicians very, very famous. Good job. Well done. Stay safe and well.

[@irrsinnrainer]

Oh, that's a nice Les Paul you got there. And also thumbs up for the Stone Cold shirt. I have a feeling that in F1 especially politics and sports mix even more than in some other sports.

[@MGEX8206]

Very interesting, thank you, this is an event that I sort of knew of but didn't know the details of. If anything it feels like a precursor to what happened in Bahrain in the early 2010s which is the first time I can really remember sport and politics mixing. Sport always tries to live in a bubble and ignore outside politics. To be fair, that's one reason why I'm a sports fan, no matter how bad life or the world gets, there will always be another race, another match, that's how it should be right? And yet, you had various events relating to South Africa in the 1980s and then from the cancellation of the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix onwards you have people trying to break that bubble in the name of human rights and now sport has to learn to co-exist with these people which is why you get the "We race as one" thing...politics gets everywhere nowadays but as long as sport continues, we live with it. If anything F1 has to recognise it more...I will continue to watch Grand Prix in the Middle East but F1 remaining there is hard to justify. We're opening ourselves up to more heat than we need.

[@joeltyler3427]

Just imagine. That Lewis Hamilton was racing back then. He wouldn't even allowed into the country or compete in it.

[@yellow_x522]

especially Willy T Ribbs if he entered F1.

[@lukasnikolic2923]

If he got into the country, he would probbably been either arrested or shot dead by the apartheid gov...

[@Slikx666]

South Africa, another part of history that should not be forgotten. We learn by our mistakes and experiences, we must not let it happen again. Skin colour, race, wealth, religion, sexual orientation and many other things should not divide us, we are better than that. Politics runs a country, it doesn't rule us.

[@MrCupONoodles]

Great video, from someone who has no understanding of F1 🏎

[@thestarlightalchemist7333]

Are we talking about racing in general, or just F1? Because if it's the former, then I can think of one earlier: Wendell Scott becoming the first African-American NASCAR winner, but having the win temporarily nullified for his safety against... well... the deep south as a whole.

[@Dat-Mudkip]

Back when you had women in victory circle who stood next to the winner and usually kiss them. A white women kissing a black man at that time and place would have seen Scott get murdered within hours. You have to feel bad for him.

[@Holden308]

The story about why Alan Jones did not race in South Africa in 1985 and Bernie's involvement is actually 100% correct. Bernie advised Jones not to bother racing and when the cars were lining up on the grid, Jones was basically boarding a plane back to London. Jones himself told the story on a Legends of Formula One podcast. Its also available here on KZbin.

[@TedSchoenling]

Oddly they only felt odd in '85? when that had been going on before? and if the F1 community really cared about human rights they would refuse to enter most of the mid-east GPs.... or any country that canes people (cough cough malaysia..) or china.. or ...

[@MrSniperfox29]

1985 seems to be a major turning point as the whole "state of emergency" thing had kicked off in the summer.

[@AidanMillward]

Before 1985 the government wasn’t pointing guns at its own people. But y’know, damned if they do damned if they don’t.

[@TedSchoenling]

@@AidanMillward every law has an implied gun pointed at its own people. and no that isn't hyperbole.

[@eamonahern7495]

Dunnes Stores supermarket workers here in Ireland had a long strike in the early 1980s over refusing to handle South African goods because of apartheid. Another case of sport and politics mixing was when the Irish Rugby team courted controversy by being the only team to go there for a series of test matches around that time if I remember correctly.

[@DonWan47]

I had no idea about this. Good video.

[@DunedainAkkarin]

Imagine being so privileged, and lacking self awareness so much, that you think anywhere can be a safe space away from politics.

[@unfortunately_fortunate2000]

I dont want a safe space from politics, I just want there to be a clearly drawn line of what is and is not an acceptable display of my or anyone elses beliefs from the officials. I'd think a lot of people want that too tbh

[@LimitPro1]

Gotta be a line for this nonsense

[@Hammerhead547]

The vast majority of people don't especially care about politics, that's why the don't want too see it invading their leisure pursuits...like watching sports. The problem is that the modrrn twatter/woke mob for whom politics are the only thing that matters try too force them into everything. As far as the situation at the time with the south african grand prix the boycott didn't really matter that much because kyalami went bankrupt not long after and F1 would've left there anyway because the track wasn't up to snuff safety wise.

[@DanTheCaptain]

In terms of racing at Kyalami, I think the new renovations to the track are excellent and I think F1 would have no problem racing there. F1 has demonstrated that it can race at new tracks and there is definitely a push to have a more international season. However, I think most of the problems with hosting another South African GP is due to the countries instability. I don’t think this should be a problem though because F1 has no problem moving to some questionable countries.

[@BobbyGeneric145]

SA is crumbling.

[@AJZulu]

Who would front the money to host the Grand Prix? SA can't afford to host an F1 Grand Prix and expect to recoup the loss with ticket sales. The South African Rand (ZAR) is weak af right now and South Africa is basically bankrupt. I'd love to see a grand prix here, but not at the cost of tax payers' money. We have bigger problems to solve right now.

[@DanTheCaptain]

@@AJZulu Yeah SA is definitely not in the position to host a GP even though the new layout of the track looks amazing

[@helgardpienaar9316]

@@AJZulu Not only that, but the large scale corruption would cause the biggest scandal the world has ever seen. I'm meaning by our own department of sports, arts and culture.

[@mariodamico3282]

Great video!

[@johnadam5702]

Great video 👌

[@doctoronishispsychosislab1474]

I'm thinking Spartacus was the 1st politcal sports activist lol :)

[@speedweenie7394]

Great video Aidan!

[@silverdarlin]

A short history of F1 and politics mixing The 1950 German Grand Prix was a Non-championship F2 race because West Germany was banned from international sporting events. This ban was lifted for 1951 1958, Juan Manuel Fangio was kidnapped while attending the non-championship Cuban Grand Prix. His kidnappers were pro-Castro gunmen, who held the Argentine hostage until after the race, in an attempt to force the cancellation of the race The Spanish Grand Prix in Franco's Spain The South African Grand Prix during apartheid The 1982 Argentine Grand Prix was originally postponed due to lack of Sponsorship after the Drivers strike in South Africa, however the race was cancelled following the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands in April. Argentina wouldn't return to F1 until 1995 The 'Ecclestone affair', when Bernie was accused of donating £1 Million to the British Government in return for an exemption for F1 in relation to tobacco sponsorship The Chinese, Russian, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix F1's desperate attempts to run a 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix, with the race only being cancelled after pressure from human rights groups, fans and drivers concerned about their safety. The 2012 event was also overshadowed by protests I've probably missed loads, but those are big ones that spring to mind

[@aydankhaliq2967]

Grand Prix didn't exist from 1939-1948 because of an Austrian painter.

[@AidanMillward]

Outside of F1 you’ve got the Argentine footballers being fined for showing a sign saying the Falklands were theirs, the boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, an attempted boycott of the 1936 Berlin games, South Africa banned from the 1966 World Cup qualification and more.

[@nicholastotoro7721]

We're talking about this in the lens of shock that this is such a relatively short time ago while ignoring Olympic games currently ongoing in China.

[@BobbyGeneric145]

THANK YOU! Why the entire world didn't boycott China Olympics is beyond me.

[@caseysmith544]

Yes, and how it looks like China has made a trouble spot on the Luge/skeleton track or the bobsled track that only the Chinese from Mainland China know how to get around in the first few rounds until others watched how they were doing this. Like you have to bump on this one part but not try to avoid or you slam into the track and potentially lose the sled in Luge and in Bobsled you have to end up right on the very very edge with no space to go off to that side on drivers left of one section without going over the side or you do a slam into the wall even if more than 1 cm from the edge.

[@aydankhaliq2967]

The new Kyalami maybe good and all but the old Kyalami circuit was a MONSTER of a track!

[@DrBenIngle]

Stone cold stone cold stone cold!!!! I'd love you to do a video on the attitude era.

[@EnglishLawyer]

Yep Graceland is a totally classic album.

[@tojan8313]

The position "sports and politics should not mix" is the real world equivalent of the "it's fine" meme. These people want sport as a kind of happy place were everything is fine even if the outside world is collapsing. The problem with this view is, that most if not every social problem affects sport as well. It effects who can take part, who has a chance of winning and maybe most important nowadays: who gets the money. So there is a good reason why there is a big overlap between people saying sports and politics should not mix and people who reject changes of the society all together.

[@AidanMillward]

That, and the “if I don’t see it, it’s not happening” attitude to the England footballers being abused or Lewis getting death threats after Silverstone.

[@indominusrex1652]

@@AidanMillward oh my god i did not know lewis got death threats IN HIS HOME COUNTRY these people are insane no wonder why lewis went under the radar and because of Michael masi too but that is not that serious as a death threat people can be stupid and insane sometimes

[@AidanMillward]

@@indominusrex1652 yeah. Lewis got death threats and got called the n word, monkey emojis and all sorts from Max fans following Silverstone. But when anyone tried to talk about how it was becoming a problem, like with the England players, you got a few morons who basically went “well, I haven’t seen it!” Same when Latifi got death threats after Abu Dhabi: “but I haven’t seen it!”

[@indominusrex1652]

@@AidanMillward jesus this world is messed up

[@LuminalSpoon]

Another interesting fact connecting F1 and South Africa, Senna's death overshadowed the first post-apartheid elections in South Africa and Nelson Mandela becoming president.

[@mat2000100]

And both events, along with Kurt Cobain's death, the world cup, and the OJ Simpson trial overshadowed the Rwandan genocide. Gotta keep the public distracted.

[@dirtybirdsrise]

Hell yeah! A Stone Cold Steve Austin shirt!

[@PMcKay00]

In an excerpt from the Australian’s autobiography he says: “During the Friday I was summoned to see Bernie Ecclestone in his penthouse. Not sure what I had done this time, I fronted up, as I went in the door Bernie said, ‘How do you feel?’ Standard greeting, although he had a look in his eye, I gave him a standard reply, ‘Pretty good, thanks.’ ‘What do you think your chances are of winning the race tomorrow?’ he asked again, I felt no need to be subtle: ‘Bernie, I think you know the answer to that question. If I start now, probably pretty good.’ ‘Well, I’ve got a bit of an idea. If you pull up sick and can’t run again this weekend, we’ll give you first-place prize money. Go home and visit Australia.’ Jones went on to explain: "Beatrice car raced in South Africa he was going to get all of the black workers - thousands of them - at Beatrice around the US to go on strike. Beatrice couldn’t be seen to be backing down to an individual like him, but if they didn’t back down there was a chance of the strike. So Bernie came up with an idea. ‘If the driver falls crook and can’t drive, then the Beatrice car doesn’t race. It’s a force majeure. Jesse Jackson can’t get on his soapbox and say, ‘I forced that company to withdraw,’ and he also couldn’t call a strike because the car didn’t race.'

[@GregBrownsWorldORacing]

A lot of this was new to me.No doubt Graceland is one of my faves I went & got the music book, not especially difficult and fun to play. I like Under African Skies - Joseph's face was black as night. The pale yellow moon shown in his eyes.

[@stefanjonsson699]

Really really good this!

[@MilanStojakov]

Thank God

[@JasonAyalaSpare]

I use Graceland to teach my classes about blending different styles and to teach about apartheid.

[@nicklastname9495]

I think it’s not so much that politics shouldn’t be in F1. It’s that the governing body says “wE rAcE aS oNe”, then continues to do business in places like China and Saudi Arabia who have genocide running rampant.

[@GeneralKenobiSIYE]

"OH NOO! Anyway..." - LOL Clarkson.

[@cococalm]

My first GP was in '76 at Kyalami, and then at every GP at Kyalami until 1985. Personally, I like he old track, but the new one, going anti clockwise, is not too bad. It is still a short track which is not so interesting in my opinion and very difficult to pass on.

[@gregderise9969]

Great story. Thanks for telling it. So glad that part of the world changed for the better. I hope my country, America, goes in a good direction somehow over the next few years. Really excited about the 2022 season. Glad the officiating has changed! I can’t get over the outrageous manipulation at the end of last year. I would’ve red flagged the race without a second thought and restarted it to have a legitimate ending. I’m happy for the Honda engineers mostly, who struggled mightily to recover from the second McLaren years. I’ve been a fan of F1 since 1986, half my lifetime ago. I was, and still am, a huge fan of Nigel Mansell. I still remember some races like it wasn’t that long ago. The awesome British GP when he drove half a race of qualifying laps to come from behind and win. Heroic battles with Senna for instance, and also Prost. Those three drivers made it fun to get up early on Sunday mornings to watch the fireworks. I recorded every race on my Sony Betamax so I could rewatch it in its entirety several days later. With no internet then it was the only way to get enough. Having more horsepower than the chassis technology could deal with easily made it a real drivers sport. Of course those engines were notoriously unreliable. But it was crazy and crazy exciting. I still lament that Mansell has a tire failure in Australia as he was about to win his first championship. I watched every CAR T Champ car race in 1993 when he came over to the Newman Haas Team and showed those drivers how to race. I lament the bunged up restart of the Indy 500 that robbed him of a win on his first try. He was one of the more seriously committed drivers I’ve ever watched. He made watching races a helluva lotta fun. Likewise Senna who I’m still in awe of. Nowadays, after years of being continuously impressed by Schumacher, I can’t even think of what superlatives to come up with to describe Hamilton. He’s not only an incredible driver but a really fine human being in every respect. A true gentleman. Immense respect for the pan he has traveled. Uniquely challenging. Flipping back to Mansell, I’ve always been impressed that he wanted to race so badly that he and his wife sold their house to pay for a short continuation of his career. Really crazy but it was that all our commitment that made him a winner and truly entertaining to watch. Hopefully when F1 returns to South Africa 🇿🇦 there will be a very public celebration of the tremendous social turn around there. It should give hope to other parts of the world. I hope Lewis Hamilton is still racing in F1 then, Sir Lewis Hamilton. This year of him going after his 8th title he was robbed of, with George Russell potentially taking points away from his championship quest, going tooth and nail against the mighty Max Verstappen, will be (I hope) edge of the seat entertainment for all of us. And I really hope very close again.

[@benjaminhill3604]

It’s Shale be said that the man on the fretless bass was killing it

[@AidanMillward]

And if you’ll be his bodyguard he will be your long lost pal.

[@KrisRogos]

I do hope they still do something when we visit some controversial places like Qatar or Saudi... Cause the cynical view is that "money talks" and the kind of money coming from the leaders of those countries would very much like F1 to not talk about human rights or equality.

[@wackyd9863]

...and america. and for anyone that wants to be a tool.. i live there. that said the only ones that would be tools about it are other americans.

[@aydankhaliq2967]

I've never seen such an annoying username in my 10 or so years on KZbin.

[@AidanMillward]

@@aydankhaliq2967 they have a point tho.

[@jamesbraun9842]

For new locations money talks. Saudi Arabia I s rich ,South Africa I s n t as rich

[@seventh-hydra]

@@wackyd9863 Lol, the US is shit but you _can't_ compare it to Saudi Arabia, Russia or China. You at least have the privilege to not be arbitrarily arrested and then executed for non-violently voicing your opinion on their government. It doesn't even come close.

[@crunchyfrog555]

I find those that make the "politics shouldn't be in sport" argument really mean "I don't want politics I DON'T LIKE in sport". Sorry, bud politics is behaviour of people, and people are in sport. You CANNOT avoid it.

[@TheJosu145]

but you can separete one from another, we know that politics defines a lot of the sport space, but their politic vision cannot interfer in others vision.

[@RANDOMZBOSSMAN1]

Literally people would be cheering for the poppy on teams shirts but hate on someone taking a knee or love when they hear the national anthem at an event Same way someone would love seeing people take a knee but hate when people say let's go Brandon at sport venues Politics have *always* been in sports

[@AidanMillward]

Ah, the yearly shit show with the poppy on the football shirts and the yearly witch hunt for James McLean.

[@shoominati23]

I heard a story about when the Rugby world cup was in Australia in the early 70's and they were billiting players in houses with families. Anyway, one of them was sitting watching TV after dinner with one particular player, and the man of the house asked him "Do you have TV back home?" which the player replied "Oh, we don't watch it. we're waiting until the technology is good enough for colour TV to be available" - to which the Aussie replied "No, you're not! It's because you can't separate the Blacks from the Whites!!"

[@TheJokerit19]

I'm here for LV's return next year. Consequently, the last non-Sunday F1 race status will move away from the 1985 South African GP.

[@aristotelesdomingo6384]

Suggestion: How about a video about the South African F1 in the 60s and 70s?

[@matthewdaniels7462]

I agree. Being born illegal is horrible. As a biracial man ,and your fan,in the south (South Carolina with a Confederate flag still flying) I can tell you not till recently were we accepted here... How else did he have a platform to speak and audience to hear.

[@CD-Gaming]

Year after I was born... I remember Mandela getting elected as well and he came here, to Leeds and they opened up a garden in Millenium Square, which I think is still there! Should be! I believe Leeds is also twinned with somewhere in South Africa as well! (As well as a place in Germany and Mohammed Ali's birthtown! Why does everyone forget us when they think of Bri-oh, right! Nowhere exists North of the Watford Gap, that's why! I can get political too! And I get mean when I do!)

[@tommywilson2984]

Aidan 3:16 says i just stole Your Pole Love The Shirt By the way

[@matiasfpm]

F1 had very few cases compared to Football or the Olympics. We could talk for days about that

[@atomicgunpla]

“10 years ago...? Jesus Christ.” I felt that to my core.

[@RACECAR]

Same here. Just makes you take that pause before the realization kicks in.

[@julshg]

Damn that "Oh no" was f.ing good :O

[@DJDouglasWarden]

The ending is worth it! Thank you!!! ☮️❤️🎵🤗🌍🏁

[@conors4430]

My friend, sports and politics have always mixed, still always mixed, and will always mix. The minute you have two human beings, you have politics. Of some description. But especially when there is money, company images and national images involved.

[@Meylan191083]

Those who say that sport and politics should not mix ignore the fact that politics uses sport for its own ends anyway.

[@badjujuforever]

not so fun fact... South Africa's Apartheid system was modelled closely on Queensland's Aboriginal Protection Act... basically the 'White Australia policy'

[@sanfordcurtis8242]

Millennials have their own version of Paul Simon; they’re called Vampire Weekend.

[@AidanMillward]

I’m a millennial and never heard of Vampire Weekend.

[@sanfordcurtis8242]

@@AidanMillward Listen to their critically acclaimed 2008 self titled debut or Modern Vampires of the City. Their lead singer, Ezra Koenig, sounds very similar to Paul Simon and their debut, despite being widely praised, was criticised for sounding like Graceland.

[@yellow_x522]

I'm curious, what was Jody Scheckter doing when all that was going on?

[@matthewlawrenson3628]

Running a firearms training firm in the USA, if my memory serves me right.

[@evsnova74]

Lol finally an interesting comment

[@andregoesmotorracing]

People have an issue with politics when its something they disagree with

[@RANDOMZBOSSMAN1]

Literally it's "politics" that they don't align with. The day people understand this and admit it to themselves we will be a better society as a result

[@jamtalawah2231]

Or, they don't like the messenger.

[@patrickracer43]

I guess they weren't listening to those who said "stick to sports" and "shut up and dribble"

[@nicholasjones9705]

My parents have that Paul Simon album.

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

As someone who became a teen in '78, you can imagine what was foremost on my mind, politically speaking. We got our attention split during Thatcher's reign (dad was a steelworker, neighbour, a miner, died of "the dust" when his youngest and I were 6; you can guess why my attention got split), but we campaigned like crazy against apartheid. Not that anything we did made a difference, but at least we _tried._ I remember the Paul Simon hoo haa, and I loved that album. S African music always gives me goosebumps from the first note to the last. 🤗

[@jtdavis62]

When I was growing up in the 1970s in America, I love racing and would watch any race on TV no matter what. But I stopped following F1 around 1978 because of the South African Grand Prix. I thought of that whole organization as racist and politically tone deaf for supporting the Apartheid regime by racing there. Life went on, but I didn't start following F1 again until 2000. So my story is that I missed all F1 in the '80s and '90s because they were the last major international sport to stop going to South Africa. Anyone who thinks international sports isn't political isn't paying attention. What do they think just happened during last year's finale? That was politics in all its dirty glory. Indeed, I'm on the verge of personally boycotting F1 again because they insist on racing in numerous human rights hell holes around the world. I'm certainly not as enthusiastic about it was I was before the Russian and Azerbaijan races.

[@adammarjanovic]

Soft

[@duncani3095]

Did you see the Aston Martin Aidan? The right front push rod is missing in the render... 🤣

[@AidanMillward]

I try to avoid the launches if i can. It just degrades into people needlessly nitpicking the liveries because the concepts they see on Instagram give them too much expectation 😅

[@strathruncie]

“Imagine being here on Earth, and technically not being allowed to exist” - that's what those rainbow flags are about, Unless I'm Very Much Mistaken.

[@danesorensen1775]

"No I've never met a nice South African..." No I have met a nice South African, actually. She was the rent agent for my old place, so she was still working for an oppressive overclass. And much as it would be fun to throw stones at South Africa from Apartheid, word is they got the idea from our White Australia Policy, so the walls of this glass house are looking less than shatterproof...

[@AidanMillward]

My dentist in Lincolnshire was South African. Really nice guy. The lawyer in the office that was next to mine was South African and she used the n and p word in front of the Muslim and Caribbean lawyers in that same office like it was a fucking comma. Guess she was a product of her surroundings.

[@AndrewScott1337]

Aidan, do you have any links to your music? As a fellow audio engineer I’d love to check out some of your stuff!

[@Will_M600]

Coah you like les Paul's too! We have alot in common

[@jordza2k11]

I always wondered why 1985 was the exception as opposed to boycotting the whole thing every year it had been held

[@AidanMillward]

“We’ll ignore your institutional racism until you get the guns out. Then it’s gone too far” 🤣

[@ExodiaNecross2]

Hopefully kyalami comes back next year or 2024

[@pretsas]

Pretty sure Renault pulled out of the race, but kept selling road cars at the dealerships a couple of miles down the road.

[@Megaphone77]

"Sports and Politics shouldn't mix". Yeah that aged like Milk right now mate.

[@nathanmabey6523]

Graceland >>>>>> I have my grandparents old Vinyll of it

[@christopherlesiuk6172]

nothing can be better than cambridge

[@mauricerose3082]

...Caterham Seven 620 R around Silverstone...

[@billmcdonald4335]

Sports 'n' politics not mixing? It's fifty years on, and I *still* remember the '72 Summit Series: the Cold War on Ice. Biggest thing to hit my country [Canada] sports-wise up until then, and its viewership share for a sporting event is still unrivalled to this day.

[@ZontarDow]

The knee jerk reaction to the injection of politics into sports stems from two main sources: fascists trying to inject politics into everything (they out themselves constantly with the phrase "everything is political), and the fact that the politics being injected into said sports tends to be overtly racist, sexist, or some other undesirable thing that in 10 years time anyone who supported will be embarrassed to have done so like BLM.

[@billmcdonald4335]

@@ZontarDow Yeah, that may be true. Doesn't apply to the Summit Series, tho'. It was political from the get-go. It was the height of the Cold War, and this was a way for both sides to engage in a rudimentary form of cultural exchange. Don't make the mistake of projecting today's attitudes onto something that's 50 years old and that a lot of people - unlike me - have to rely on Wikipedia to get up to speed on.

[@ZontarDow]

@@billmcdonald4335 My point is that the opposition to politics being injected into sports today stems from the fact that it almost always falls into the category of: malevolent, fake support, or both.

[@billmcdonald4335]

@@ZontarDow Agreed. It almost always does, indeed.

[@billmcdonald4335]

Off to fire up "The Boy in the Bubble". . .

[@AidanMillward]

Great song.

[@billmcdonald4335]

@@AidanMillward As is the entire album. And I remember the impact it had. Eyes went to SA because of it, as you said in the video.

[@markmall7142]

Racing in the middle East is as bad as having a GP in RSA in the 80's .Crimes are just different and the finacial incentives are larger hence the turning a blind eye. The saving grace for Kyalami is that it probably won't be bullied by F1's management and its greed. Honestly I dont think it will be that big here or atleast not as big at was in the past.

[@heliumtrophy]

As an another aside I would urge people to have a look at Chris Barrie's Richie Benaud impersonation (that's the former Australian cricketer and commentator) talking about apartheid which hopefully is still on KZbin. Even as he's doing the whole cricket analogies, it's chilling to see that this was going on when I was just an infant. The fact that they're "doing away" with the We Race as One campaign is predictable as it is pathetic. It's like their attempts to be carbon neutral in whatever year they're saying - all just pure lip service. They should back it up and continue but I know they won't. As long as they strive for money they'll do away with it whenever it's convenient.

[@AidanMillward]

I just watched that. Brilliant sketch.

[@heliumtrophy]

@@AidanMillward As one commenter on there said, the aboriginal people in Australia would think that this was all a bit too familar. Still I like that it played its small part in changing people's attitudes. Long may this continue.

[@AidanMillward]

@@heliumtrophy I guess back then there was no social media so stuff wouldn’t be halfway around the world in the blink of an eye. If that had been done on SNL about China or Saudi Arabia or Russia it wouldn’t have the same reaction.

[@ЯрославКовальчук-и9ь]

Never happened before and now again...

[@E53-f7z]

"The natives will win in the end." The Dutch were there before the Zulus were, the "natives" were long gone by then."

[@jamtalawah2231]

Really???

[@prabhanjankaveri613]

Love your content cheers 🍻