Three-time world champion Max Verstappen was struck with a penalty by the FIA after swearing in a press conference on Thursday ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix
Max Verstappen had ‘no words’ after the FIA slapped him with what’s been labelled a ‘community service’ penalty for swearing in a press conference.
Three-time world champion Verstappen, who still leads the Formula 1 drivers’ championship despite a slump in form, defied the FIA’s instructions on Thursday when he described Red Bull’s car as being ‘f***ed’. Earlier this week, FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem suggested during an interview that drivers could be hit with penalties for swearing over their team radios.
Verstappen, 25, was subsequently summoned to the stewards before a tyre had even hit the track at the Marina Bay street circuit. As punishment, F1’s rule-makers said that the Red Bull driver has an ‘obligation to accomplish some work of public interest’.
The stewards noted in their press release that Verstappen had defended himself and claimed that the word ‘f***ed’ is ‘ordinary in speech as he learned it, English not being his native language’. But the Dutchman had no time to discuss the matter on Friday after the second practice session, as one reporter found out.
“Can we also just have a word about this FIA situation?” she asked. “No words,” Verstappen replied, before sharply stepping back from the microphone and walking off.
Known for his fiery temper inside and outside of the car, the 25-year-old’s reaction came as little surprise. But that’s unlikely to change Ben Sulayem’s stance, as the FIA head honcho told Motorsport.com: “We’re not rappers, you know? They say the F-word how many times per minute?
“We are not on that. Imagine you are sitting with your children and watching the race and then someone is saying all of this dirty language. I mean, what would your children or grandchildren say?”
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Verstappen doesn’t agree, however, scoffing at those comments during Thursday’s press conference. “Excuse me for the language, but, like, what are we? Five-year-olds? Six-year-olds?” he bemoaned.
“Even if a five-year-old or six-year-old is watching, I mean, they will eventually swear anyway. Even if the parents won’t, or they will not allow it, when they grow up, they will walk around with their friends and they will be swearing. So, you know, this is not changing anything.”
He’ll need to keep his language in check for the rest of the weekend, which may prove difficult given Red Bull’s recent struggles. Without a race win since June, Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez’s woes have seen Red Bull knocked off the top of the standings for the 2024 constructors’ championship.
The pair both had issues during practice on Friday and are hoping for improvement in Saturday’s qualifying.
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