Formula One drivers are united ahead of talks with the FIA over the Max Verstappen swearing row that engulfed the Singapore Grand Prix, amid widespread dissatisfaction with the sport’s governing body.
The chair of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), Alex Wurz, believes the penalty Verstappen received was too severe and that the organisation would reach a consensus before presenting a response to the FIA.
The controversy over Verstappen’s use of a swearword in a press conference before last weekend’s meeting at Marina Bay overshadowed the race. Before the meeting had begun, the president of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, had stated he wanted to see drivers curtail their swearing. Verstappen subsequently swore in the Thursday FIA press conference and was given a day’s community service as punishment.
He reacted in the form of a protest by all but refusing to engage with questions in subsequent press conferences, instead meeting journalists afterwards where he was happy to speak away from an FIA setting.
After the race on Sunday in which he finished second to McLaren’s Lando Norris, he warned that his frustration at the “silly” stance of the FIA had prompted him to consider his future in the sport. His disdain of the FIA’s position and the punishment had already been publicly supported by high-profile drivers including Norris and Lewis Hamilton.
On Sunday he noted that he also had broad support across the GPDA, having posted about it in the organisation’s WhatsApp group. “I wrote in the GPDA [chat] the ruling,” he said. “And everyone was almost laughing like: What the hell is that?’ basically. It is very, very silly.”
He also has the support of Wurz who cited the case of the former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner, who became one of the most well-known and popular personalities in the sport partly because of his liberal and entertaining use of expletives. The Netflix series Drive to Survive, responsible in part for the enormous growth in F1’s popularity, recognised Steiner’s draw and made extensive use of his colourful language in the show.
“How many lifetime community services would Guenther Steiner have to serve for using the F word?” Wurz told Formel1.de. “He was glorified for using the F word. Netflix broadcast this worldwide, no problem. But then to suddenly change like that?”
The FIA and Ben Sulayem made no comment on Verstappen or his protests across the race weekend, with the punishment having been delivered by the race stewards in Singapore. Notably, Norris also swore in the cool-down room at Marina Bay immediately post-race but has, as yet, not been censured.
Wurz confirmed he and the drivers intended to take the matter further to attempt to reach a resolution.
“I think drivers have to be allowed to express themselves authentically to some extent,” he said. “Of course, it shouldn’t be personally offensive, and it shouldn’t be discriminatory either. They’ve all come a long way in that regard. So, for me personally, the penalty is too severe.
“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.”
