Various human rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch criticised Formula One for holding a race in Saudi Arabia. Their argument was it was Saudi Arabia’s "cynical strategy to distract from Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses." According to human rights watch, Saudi Arabia is using sports events to distract people from serious human rights violations that are committed. Formula One defended itself saying that “(Formula One) has been a positive force wherever it races.” Saudi Arabia has denied that the Grand Prix was used for sports washing.   Many human rights organisations called on Lewis Hamilton to boycott the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. They cited Saudi Arabia’s role in the Yemen War, the detention of women’s rights activists and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Saudi Arabia countered by saying that hosting the race was a step in the process of opening the country to the outside world. Formula One also reiterated that they believed in the Saudi Arabian government's ability to ensure the security of the event.