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The Dutchman was summoned to meet with the stewards following Free Practice 1 in Marina Bay.
That related to language he used in response to a question regarding his performance over the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend during Friday’s FIA press conference.
“As I went into qualifying, I knew the car was f***ed,” Verstappen said.
“I tried to optimise the car all the time and this time it didn’t work out.”
Host of the press conference, Tom Clarkson, subsequently apologised for the world championship leader’s language.
That too prompted a remark from Verstappen.
“Excuse me for the language but like, what are we? Five-year-olds? Six-year-olds?,” he asked.
“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.”
The Dutchman subsequently found himself in hot water, with officials ruling his language contravened the International Sporting Code.
“It is the policy of the FIA to ensure that language used in its public forums, such as press conferences, meets generally accepted standards for all audiences and Broadcasts,” the stewards summary noted.
“In particular this is true of statements made by participants in the World Championships and thus being role models both inside and outside the sport.
“This is clear in the regulations of the FIA and has been reinforced through previous cases brought before the Stewards in Formula One, in particular in Las Vegas in 2023.
“The Stewards reviewed the transcript of the FIA Thursday Driver Press Conference in Singapore and Max Verstappen, driver of car 1, used language to describe his car at the Event in Azerbaijan which is generally considered “coarse, rude” or may “cause offense” and is not considered suitable for broadcast.
“This is “Misconduct” as defined in Art 20 of the International Sporting Code, and is a breach of Art 12.2.1.k.
“The Stewards noted that the language was not directed at anyone or any group.
“When summoned to the Stewards the driver explained that the word used is ordinary in speech as he learned it, English not being his native language.
“While the Stewards accept that this may be true, it is important for role models to learn to be mindful when speaking in public forums, in particular when not under any particular pressure
“Verstappen apologized for his behaviour.
“The Stewards note that significant fines have been levied for language offensive to or directed at specific groups. This is not the case here.
“But, as this topic has been raised before and is well known by the competitors, the Stewards determined to order a greater penalty than previously and that Verstappen be “obliged to accomplish some work of public interest” (Art. 12.4.1.d of the International Sporting Code), in coordination with the Secretary General for Sport of the FIA.”
Swearing has been a hot topic this weekend following comments by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
“We have to differentiate between our sport, motorsport, and rap music,” he told Motorsport.com.
“We’re not rappers, you know. They say the F-word how many times per minute? We are not on that. That’s them and we are [us].”
It’s believed that has led to a directive from the FIA to F1 to limit the amount of swearing on the broadcast.
Drivers have, on the whole, responded negatively to Ben Sulayem’s remarks, suggesting the onus was on the broadcast on not them in terms of ensuring the coverage remained suitable for all audiences.
“I think you will swear anyway,” Verstappen said on Friday in Singapore when asked about moves to ban swearing over the radio.
“If it’s not in this room, maybe somewhere else. Everyone swears. Some people a bit more than others.
“It also depends a bit what language you speak.
“Of course, abuse is something else.
“I think a lot of things get broadcast nowadays where in other sports you don’t run around with a mic attached to you.
“A lot of people say a lot of bad things when they are full of adrenaline in other sports, it just doesn’t get picked up.
“Where here, probably also for entertainment purposes, things get sent out and that’s where people can pick up on it, discuss it on social media and you get all sorts of trouble.”
Others supported Verstappen’s position, including Lando Norris and Nico Hulkenberg, while Lewis Hamilton noted the broader issue the FIA president was seemingly referring to, though took issue with other elements of his comments.
“You forget that there are kids that are listening,” Hamilton said.
“So I agree in that sense. If you listen to some of the younger drivers, they’ve not got it yet and at some stage they possibly will.”
However, the seven-time champion took issue with the overtones of Ben Sulayem’s comments, specifically his reference to rappers.
“You think about — most rappers are black,” he observed
“That really kind of points it towards when [he] says, ‘We’re not like them.’
“So I think those are the wrong choice of words; there’s a racial element there.
“But, as I said, I agree with the fact that I think cleaning up a little bit… but also it’s good to have some emotion.”
