The FIA has been accused by a House of Lords peer of "targeting" Lewis Hamilton with its "suppression of Formula 1 drivers' voices".
Motorsport's governing body has controversially changed the regulations so any driver who wants to protest or make a political statement on a race weekend will need to seek advance permission. Hamilton is one of those who has most often used his platform to highlight social injustice.
The FIA says the move was made to bring its policies in line with other major sporting organisations like FIFA and the IOC. But its critics have slammed the move and say it supresses the right the drivers have to protest.
Lord Scriven, vice chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Democracy and Human Rights in the Gulf, has written to the FIA to voice his "great concern". In the letter, seen by Mirror Sport, he claims the policy "will serve to shield F1 host countries from scrutiny over injustice".
Scriven wrote: "It is very clear to me that this policy targets Sir Lewis Hamilton, your most outspoken driver, whose comments on countries with abysmal rights records, particularly Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, would have undoubtedly not been well received by these corrupt and abusive regimes.
He also went on to accuse president Mohammed ben Sulayem of being "discourteous and unprofessional" for ignoring a joint-letter he co-signed a year ago. Scriven questioned by the FIA chief had not responded to their concerns over the human rights implications of racing in Gulf countries.
"Why do you think you can ignore parliamentarians? he added in the letter. "Do you think that concerns raised over human rights and the policies of the FIA should be above scrutiny? We wrote to you in order to raise concerns that are in the public interest, and we expect openness and transparency from the FIA."
The peer's letter comes after another piece of correspondence sent to the FIA by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD). Director Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei told Ben Sulayem: "F1 drivers must be allowed to enjoy the same rights as you to freely express their moral stances."
Both Scriven and Alwasaei have made it clear they would like a prompt response from the FIA over their concerns. BIRD has threatened to "escalate this matter further to the appropriate authorities, including the United Nations" if that does not happen.
