Formula One stewards have instructed Red Bull’s triple world champion Max Verstappen to perform “public service work” after he used offensive language during a press conference at the ongoing Singapore Grand Prix weekend.
The Dutchman was answering questions at the press conference about the recently held Azerbaijan Grand Prix where he finished a disappointing 5th, behind title rival Lando Norris.
“As soon as I went into qualifying, I knew the car was f—ed,” Verstappen replied to a question. The stewards summoned the championship leader on Friday evening, where it was determined that he had violated the FIA’s International Sporting Code by using “language to describe his car at the Azerbaijan event that is widely regarded as ‘coarse, rude,’ or potentially ‘offensive’ and not appropriate for broadcast.”
The incident occurred after FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem had called on drivers to be mindful of their language, likening them to rappers.
“We’re not rappers, you know,” Ben Sulayem told motorsport.com in an interview. “They say the F-word how many times per minute?”
However, Verstappen did apologize for his behavior and labeled it as an ‘ordinary speech of language as he learned it, English not being his native language.’
Earlier this season, Yuki Tsudona was penalized for inappropriate language when the RB driver labeled his fellow drivers as f—ing retarded”. While it wasn’t aired on Formula 1’s world feed, the live audio from each driver’s radio is accessible through F1 TV. The Japanese was fined €40,000 (about $44,556) for his words and given a warning.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur were also given warnings by the Stewarts for using inappropriate language at the Las Vegas Grand Prix last season.
However, the Stewarts did make clear that Verstappen’s case is different as compared to the previous ones as he did not use the language against a particular person or a particular group of people.
“The stewards note that significant fines have been levied for language offensive to or directed at specific groups. This is not the case here,” the statement said.
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
