Formula One drivers will hold crunch talks to determine whether they take on Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile president Mohammed ben Sulayem after Max Verstappen was hit with a community service order for swearing.
Max Verstappen says the “silly” way in which the FIA has treated him by handing him a community service order for swearing in a press conference could hasten his departure from Formula One. Verstappen described his Red Bull as “f—–” in a televised press conference to preview the Singapore Grand Prix.
Verstappen was clearly infuriated by the FIA’s ruling and effectively refused to answer questions in the official post-qualifying conference on Saturday, preferring to give fuller answers in a huddle with journalists in the Singapore paddock.
Lewis Hamilton has urged Verstappen to ignore the penalty – the details of which are yet to be finalised by the FIA – while Lando Norris, who trails Verstappen in the standings by 52 points following his win in Singapore, said it was “unfair” and he “didn’t agree with any of it”.
Alex Wurz, who competed for Benetton and Williams and now chairs the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, said: “As GPDA chairman, I have to officially say that we will of course discuss it internally, first reach a full consensus and then we will consider whether, and in what form, we will talk to the FIA and the president.”
In an interview with Formel1, the 50-year-old Austrian continued: “How many lifetime community services would [former Haas team principal] Guenther Steiner have to serve for using the F-word?. He was glorified for using the F-word.
“Netflix broadcast this worldwide, no problem. But then to suddenly change like that?
“Drivers have to be allowed to express themselves authentically to some extent. Of course, it shouldn’t be personally offensive and it shouldn’t be discriminatory either. For me, the penalty is too severe.”
Verstappen’s punishment was served up 24 hours after Ben Sulayem claimed the grid’s stars had a responsibility to stop swearing on the radio.
Emirati Ben Sulayem, 62, also said the drivers should not act like rappers – a remark Hamilton said carried a “racial element” to it.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said he did not ask Verstappen to tone down his language on the radio during Sunday’s race.
“Max has made his feelings clear,” said Horner. “Of course, all of these drivers are role models but this is language that is used in everyday life.
“It should perhaps have been dealt with slightly differently and that would have avoided any awkwardness.
“This is a driver [for whom] English is not his native tongue. We have seen members of of the Royal family telling photographers to ‘take a f—— photo’, so reactions need to be relative.”
