Combating Toxicity Towards the WAGS of Formula One

In celebration of Valentine's Day, I think it's time we talk about the WAGS of the paddock. Back in the day, it didn't really matter who the drivers were married to or dating. But with the increase in popularity thanks to the spread of social media and of course, Drive to Survive on Netflix, it's only natural that the wives and girlfriends would being to attract more attention.

Unfortunately, not all of the attention is positive. Especially among the younger audiences, there has been a significant amount of cyberbullying that has been aimed at the women. I'm sure everyone remembers last year when the rumors of Lando Norris' love life went way out of control. And then when he finally announced his relationship with Luisinha, she began to receive even more hateful comments and messages. Some of the drivers and their girlfriends have spoken about the toxicity of social media and it's clear some action needs to be taken against the people that feel entitled enough to write such horrible things on social media. And the reasoning behind these comments can be so convoluted. Sometimes people are jealous to see a thriving relationship and sometimes people just say things to be cruel. It's no surprise that at this point, many of the girlfriends stay incredibly private on social media when it's concerning their dating life.

A person who regularly contributes to the negativity surrounding the girlfriends is photographer Kym Illman. Almost every year he makes a video about the girlfriends of the drivers, whether they are official or not. He then comments on their personality and it can come off as snobbish if he's discussing one of the women who maybe doesn't want her photo taken.

But things have clearly reached an all time high over the last week when Kika Gomes, Pierre Gasly's girlfriend made the sweetest birthday post for him. Unfortunately, too many people felt the need to let their emotions run wild. People began to mass report her account and it was briefly taken down. Kika even issued a statement after the craziness stating, "I'm saddened and frustrated to see that, despite always trying to be respectful towards my followers and community, mean people managed to get to me by shutting down my account" she went on to say how important her account is for not just her personal life, but her professional life as well.

It's clear that, while there's nothing we can do to change this kind of behavior in people immediately, we can always stand up for what's right. So, if you see any kind of this behavior, make it known to those people that it's not right. Call them out and make the F1 community a place of respect because it'll be a much better place once we do.

Happy Valentine's Day for those who celebrate it!