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Verstappen could quit F1 over swearing clamp down

NEWS STORY
25/09/2024

Fearing that the FIA's clamp down will prevent him from 'being himself', Max Verstappen admits that he may consider retiring earlier than planned.

On Thursday it was revealed that FIA president, Mohammed ben Sulayem - of whom little has been heard since he appeared to make peace with F1 - had spoken to Formula One Management with a view to clamping down on swearing during broadcasting of the sport.

The drivers were unimpressed by the move, even more so when Verstappen was summoned by the stewards after uttering the F-word during the official press conference whilst describing how his car felt in Baku.

Hit with a 'community service' order the Dutchman reacted by effectively refusing to speak during the FIA's official post-qualifying press conference, while Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton agreed with his reaction.

"He deserved it... foul language," joked Norris, before adding: "I think it's pretty unfair. I don't agree with any of it."

"I think it's a bit of a joke, to be honest," added Hamilton. "This is the pinnacle of the sport. Mistakes are made.

"I certainly won't be doing it," he said of the community service order, "and I hope Max doesn't do it."

While Verstappen, became the youngest ever driver to start a grand prix when he lined up on the grid in Melbourne in 2015, over the years he has made no secret of his desire to retire whilst still relatively young, having no desire to race as a veteran like Fernando Alonso or Lewis Hamilton.

However, speaking at race end on Sunday, the Dutchman admitted that the FIA's latest diktat could cause him to bring his retirement forward.

"For sure, these kind of things definitely decide my future as well," he told reporters. "You know when you can't be yourself, or you have to deal with these kind of silly things.

"I think now I'm at the stage of my career that you don't want to be dealing with this all the time," he added. "It's really tiring.

"Of course, it's great to have success and win races, but you know, once you have accomplished all that winning championships and races, and then you want to just have a good time as well.

"Of course, everyone is pushing to the limit," he continued. "Everyone in this paddock, even at the back of the grid. But if you have to deal with all these kind of silly things, for me, that is not a way of continuing in the sport, that's for sure."

Asked if he has voiced these feeling with the FIA, he replied: "At the end of the day, I don't know how serious they would take that kind of stuff. For me at one point, when it's enough, it's enough, we'll see.

"Like I said, racing will go on, F1 will go on also without me. It's also not a problem for me. It's how it is."

The Dutchman was keen to make clear that his language on Thursday, as an example, was him expressing his frustration, it was not meant as an insult towards anyone.

"For me personally, with these kind of things, I know, of course, you can't insult people. That is quite straightforward. I think no one really wants to do that.

"It's all a bit too soft really and honestly, it's silly. It's super silly what we're dealing with."

Indeed, at a time the sport is using every means at its disposal to promote the drivers' personalities, the three-time world champion fears that he and his colleagues will not be allowed to be themselves.

"For sure. I mean, if you can't really be yourself to the fullest, then it's better not to speak," he said. "That's what no one wants, because then you become a robot and it is not how you should be going about it in the sport. It is going the wrong way to create that authenticity.

"I think you should be able to show emotions in a way. That's what racing is about, or any sport. I mean, anyone walking around on a pitch, if they get tackled or get pushed, or they're not happy with something, or there's a frustrating moment or something that they get asked about. It's quite normal that there can be a sort of reaction.

"I wrote in the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers' Association chat group) the ruling, and everyone was almost laughing," he revealed, "you know, like, 'what the hell is that?'

"So, yes, it is very, very silly."

Check out our Sunday gallery from Marina Bay here.

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READERS COMMENTS

 

1. Posted by ffracer, 25/09/2024 1:58

"@ The Honourable Editor

Most grateful for the suspended sentence (or tbd period of probation). Seriously, to be acknowledged by you is the greatest compliment and I apologize for the long rants - certain topics spark rage - and I pledge to be more concise like the more esteemed forum members here.

"

Rating: Positive (1)     Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

2. Posted by Editor, 24/09/2024 21:56

"@ ffracer

Was about to decide on the length and type of community service you should serve following your "Fu@K @ff FIA!" comment, but then saw your post regarding Kevin Magnussen, with which we thoroughly concur."

Rating: Positive (2)     Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

3. Posted by ffracer, 24/09/2024 18:57

"@spindoctor: thumbs up
@Ricardo_Sanchez: Max Verstappen is a very logical and methodical human being. He continues to inspire my kids and I every day with his incredible, complete driving and his mature love and respect for others. His rants make him human. We should not judge him because we have never been subjected to this incredible global scrutiny like he and his family have. My humble two cents.
@madmatt and @wokingchap: respectively disagree. Everything in this sport is violent and intense. Everyone on the grid is mature and responsible for so much more than we know.
@Chester: well said. The world should clean up rap music (swearing and violence towards police/women/handicapped should never be tolerated)and violent, sadistic movies promoting the darkest evils of the world history before they muzzle world athletes who continue to inspire us. I lay the blame and punishment at the feet of the world media looking for shock bait and continue to knowingly broadcast the FIA’s ‘forbidden language’ for sole gain (calling out Netflix and SKY, please don’t give me the adult audience card crap). Easy fix, employ the buzzer/gong/horn technician since the beginning of TV time. Seriously.
For me, Formula One is the pinnacle of everything: performance, technology, driver mental and physical training and raw emotion. Whether it’s someone slamming a headset, a mechanic botching a crucial pitstop or a driver having a violent shunt, capturing the raw emotion in this sport should be extolled not punished. Having said that, I watch the races with my young kids and would appreciate the world feed utilizing the bleep option so we can showcase to the world the pinnacle of sport in it’s best light. Not glorify or increase shock value for the media’s gain. Although I agree with the FIA’s stance on vulgarity, I detest how they are meting out penalizing the F1 drivers and not the world media. With all due respect, we don’t have microphones shoved under our faces after a violent shunt, a heart tugging moment or an utter crushing loss. Impose draconian penalties and penalize the broadcasters who have the ability and a responsibility to sterilize the world feed. That would be the prudent thing to do.

Drivers have enough to worry about - exceeding track limits, making zero mistakes behind the computer (wheel), zero visibility below the tops of tires lol ... please don’t even get me started on poor Carlos Sainz being heavily penalized for crossing the track after an incredible shunt, during a red flag and when it was safe to do so. I did the exact same thing two years ago and would have punched out the Clerk of the Course if they tried to do that to me. Max Verstappen is absolutely right: flipping RIDICULOUS. WTF, was he supposed to run around the perimeter of the circuit or stand in 50C heat waiting for a track car. Fu@K @ff FIA!"

Rating: Neutral (0)     Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

4. Posted by Chester, 24/09/2024 16:09

"Free speech. Movies are far, far worse than honest utterings from drivers.

This swearing ban is akin to woke baloney that ,at least in the USA, is now on the run, chased away by the vast majority of reasonable-thinking folks."

Rating: Neutral (0)     Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

5. Posted by stackvideo, 23/09/2024 23:30

"Max, instead of saying the "F" bomb, just change it to "intercoursed""

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6. Posted by ian_w, 23/09/2024 20:24

"The initial issue was drivers swearing from the cockpit. But that's not accurate. The issues the FIA transmitting those clips to the international broadcasters and SkyF1 et al, broadcasting them. I think Sky deliberately chooses to focus on "the naughty bits", all while apologizing for them after.

The FIA could simply issue a directive that no transmissions with swearing will be broadcast. We might know less of what's going on but soon enough fan response would sort the behavior out since the teams want airtime on them!

That of course still leaves the post-race interviews, but drivers are not racing then and should not be afflicted by the "red fog".

Max was a dumb-ass for swearing in the (mandatory) FIA press conference and should be reprimanded for that. But that would never have happened if they cockpit comms were not broadcast."

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7. Posted by Ricardo_sanchez, 23/09/2024 17:36

"This furore reflects poor management and lack of foresight from multiple angles.

Not for the first time, Ben Sulayem, took an overly-abrupt approach in publicly announcing the intention to curb swearing, seemingly without consulting the drivers or their representatives, such as the GPDA. Effective leadership would have involved a private consultation with drivers, teams, and their management. The FIA might then have built consensus on the rationale behind moderating language, rather than attempting blanket censorship.

On Verstappen’s side, his response will be seen by many as disproportionate, with a threat to quit being OTT.

He has a team of managers and advisors who should have helped manage his reaction. Instead, Verstappen’s frustration and emotionally-charged threats make him appear petty and childish in the face of what, in the grand scheme, is a relatively minor issue."

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8. Posted by Superbird70, 23/09/2024 16:08

"F1 cutting edge technology, cannot implement a 3 second delay to mute 'bad' words. No problem for DTS though, they just cover their ears shouting, "la, la, la, la". "

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9. Posted by Mad Matt, 23/09/2024 14:58

"I think he needs to grow up, a lot of us work in stressful conditions and are expected to keep a civil tongue in our mouths. It's got nothing to do with not being yourself, he just sounds like a teenager having a strop!"

Rating: Negative (-3)     Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

10. Posted by Spindoctor, 23/09/2024 13:18

"Despite being part of RBR & his father's influence, I'm coming to quite like the lad. His driving isn't as good as he & his fans think, but he's talented & fast & deserves not to be "punished" for such a minor "offence".

"

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11. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 23/09/2024 13:18

"Have to agree with Max. F1 is not an afterschool special. "

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12. Posted by Tardis40, 23/09/2024 12:09

"Don't just retire. Move to another racing series.

That would really frost their gonads."

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13. Posted by Wokingchap, 23/09/2024 11:52

"Silly boy."

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