“We are not rappers. They say the F-word (fuck) how many times a minute ?”: Verstappen punished for swearing

Max Verstappen tournera dorénavant sa langue sept fois dans sa bouche… Hasan Bratic – Hasan Bratic

Max Verstappen sanctionné pour avoir été vulgaire en conférence de presse.

Three-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull) was fined by the stewards on Friday after using a vulgar word during the press conference before the Singapore Grand Prix on Thursday.

As soon as I started qualifying, I knew the car was crap

While the FIA ​​usually imposes fines in such cases, this time it sentenced the Dutchman to "perform community service" under its supervision, without specifying the nature of the service. Asked why his Mexican team-mate Sergio Perez was quicker than him last weekend in Azerbaijan, Verstappen replied: “I don't know, different setup. As soon as I started qualifying I knew the car was fucked”.

Tougher regulations

The stewards clarified that they imposed this penalty because this topic had already been discussed several times and fines had been imposed but this time they wanted to go further. This decision is probably not unrelated to the request of the president of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, to put an end to the vulgarities broadcast live on television.

In an interview with the specialist website www.motorsport.com broadcast on Thursday, the head of the F1 governing body had indeed called for a reduction in vulgarity. “We have to differentiate between our sport, motorsport, and rap. We're not rappers. They say the F-word (fuck) how many times a minute ? We don't do that. They are who they are and we are [who we are]", Ben Sulayem said.

But come on, how old are we ? Five, six years ?

These remarks had caused several drivers to react on Thursday, particularly for the rudeness uttered in the heat of the moment on the radio from their single-seater. "They can simply not broadcast the radios, stressed the Briton Lando Norris (McLaren). Of course there will be bad language, but that's just because we're trying to do our best and we feel bad when things don't go well. But I'm sure that's the case in every other sport. It's just that it's not always recorded."

"We shouldn't give people the opportunity to hear it. That would be much better than banning drivers. But come on, how old are we ? Five, six years old ? Even if a child of five or six years old watches, he will end up swearing anyway", Verstappen had judged, who ultimately did not escape a sanction.