The so-called drivers' union - the Grand Prix Drivers' Association - is to hold talks with the FIA as row over swearing builds.

In all honesty, if Max and Red Bull were cruising to the title as in 2023 the current row over bad language would be just the sort of thing to take our minds off things, and would certainly appeal to those converted to the sport by the likes of Drive to Survive.

But with a genuine fight to the wire building the ongoing row is proving something of a distraction, indeed an embarrassment for the sport.

24 hours after FIA president, Mohammed ben Sulayem revealed that he was to talk to Formula One Management over the broadcasting of bad language, Max Verstappen was hit with a one-day community service order for dropping an F-bomb during the official driver press conference.

The Dutchman reacted to the punishment with a form of silent protest, whilst the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris described the ban and the world champion's resultant punishment as silly.

As more drivers vent their feelings - albeit without the use of profanity - it has been revealed that the GPDA is to hold talks with the sport's governing body.

"How many lifetime community services would Guenther Steiner have to serve for using the F-word?" asked GPDA chairman, Alex Wurz in a YouTube interview with Formel1.de. "He was glorified for using the F-word," added the Austrian.

"Netflix broadcast that worldwide, no problem," he added. "But then to suddenly change like that...

"I have to say, it's not my personal taste as a driver," he said of Verstappen's F-bomb. "But as GPDA chairman, I have to officially say that we will, of course, discuss it internally, reach a full consensus, and then we will consider whether and in what form we will talk to the FIA and the president."

However, as the ban, Verstappen's punishment and the Dutchman's subsequent claim that such rules could drive him out of the sport, divide public opinion, Wurz believes the issue should not be played out in public.

"Personally, I always believe, and we also do this at the GPDA, we solve it internally," he said. "We don't go through the media. Very rarely does something go from the GPDA to the media because we simply try to solve things internally for the sake of the sport and want to bring the people and the individual key stakeholders on our journey together."

Like Verstappen, and others however, Wurz agrees that a clampdown on bad language means that drivers can no longer be themselves.

"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."

While all of us shudder at the person in the street seemingly unable to utter a sentence without including at least one F-bomb and perhaps even a C-word for good measure, neither do we want a grid full of anodyne George Russell-types seemingly fully-signed up to the cult of the corporation.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by trackrecords, 16/10/2024 18:39

"We have the Sky F1 kids, so why not have "F1 Uncut" hosted by Roger Mellie (a potty-mouthed TV presenter in Viz magazine from the 80s)?"

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2. Posted by NS Biker, 28/09/2024 22:46

"Shazbot .... A Dutch Treat should do the job nicely.
Of course, Verstappen would get dragged in for violating the English Only radio rule.
"

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3. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 26/09/2024 19:03

"Max needs to start swearing in Dutch instead. "

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4. Posted by itc, 25/09/2024 21:51

"Ted Kravitz will doubtless be sweeping the track with a broom at Austin after Sky live broadcasted an outtake with lots of swearies after he kept fluffing his lines. I found it hilarious though, and the apologies completely unnecessary. Humans swear."

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5. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 25/09/2024 14:39

"How about a language warning before each broadcast? Virgin ears can turn the channel or shut off the audio."

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6. Posted by Wokingchap, 25/09/2024 8:57

"They need a "Beeping Crew"...... easy."

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7. Posted by dejan, 25/09/2024 4:44

"We want to show the authentic driver behavior to attract new fans (customers) but at the same time we want them to act clean and not be too authentic. There is a technological solution if F1 doesn't want to broadcast all of the radio exchanges during a race if they care about projecting a "clean" image"

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8. Posted by ffracer, 24/09/2024 20:01

"@RP: agreed

Absolutely love Netflix’s “Tour de France: Unchained” depiction of the utter intensity and violence of these absolute racers but could really appreciate the beep/gong/horn technician here. Does not need to be so filthy to get the intensity and commitment across.

World media should sign agreements with the FIA so Netflix’s Drive to Survive shouldn’t be so filthy and F1 world feed broadcasts do not need to be filthy to get the intensity and commitment across. Simply, the FIA should lay blame and impose the draconian penalties on the world media in efforts to sterilize the “needless’ audio enhancements that once was the gong/horn/whistle since the beginning of radio and television."

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9. Posted by RP, 24/09/2024 16:29

"If Sulem is concerned about bad language, he should watch Netflix's "Tour de France: Unchained". Om my gosh. I'm not perturbed by bad language having heard at lot in 82 years and used my fair share to indicate dismay or despair, extreme happiness and lots of other emotions. From what we hear, he has some issues in his own house to, perhaps, change his behavior towards women? Who is going to cast the first stone? At least the rider exclamations are genuine. F1 is already busy trying to manufacture scripts to "enhance" the program. There is already a lot of cryptic interviews where team members don't honestly discuss issues with the cars."

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GPDA enters swearing row

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