Formula 1 drivers have urged the sport’s governing body FIA to treat them like adults after Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were punished for swearing.
The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) also slammed FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem for his “tone and language” when addressing the issue.
“There is a difference between swearing intended to insult others and more casual swearing, such as you might use to describe bad weather, or indeed an inanimate object such as an F1 car, or a driving situation”, the GPDA said in a strongly worded open letter.
The body of Formula 1 drivers also questioned the financial transparency of the FIA in the letter.
“We once again request the FIA president provides financial transparency and direct, open dialogue with us.
“All stakeholders (FIA, F1, the teams and the GPDA) should jointly determine how and whether the money is spent for the benefit of the sport.”
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After Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were recently reprimanded for swearing in FIA press conferences, several Formula 1 drivers criticised the decision. This open letter issued on Thursday is their first collective public statement since 2017, implying the growing anguish among the drivers.
“We urge the FIA president to consider his own tone and language when talking to our member drivers, or indeed about them, whether in a public forum or otherwise. Further, our members are adults. They do not need to be given instructions by the media about matters as trivial as the wearing of jewellery or underpants”, the statement read.
Ben Sulayem had earlier insisted on enforcing rules around jewellery and underwear, which also reignited Formula 1 drivers’ displeasure and, in the case of Lewis Hamilton’s nose stud, led to a long-running deadlock.
Sulayem has strongly opposed the usage of swear words by Formula 1 drivers. He gave an interview shortly before Verstappen’s punishment in which he said he did not want drivers to swear and stated F1 must “differentiate between our sport – motor sport – and rap music”.
The comment was immediately flaked by Hamilton who said, “Saying ‘rappers’ is very stereotypical”. “If you think about it, most rappers are black, so it says: ‘We are not like them.’ Those are the wrong choice of words and there is a racial element there.”
Verstappen was given a period of community service for his misconduct in Singapore, when he had described his car using the F-word.
Leclerc, on the other hand, was handed a fine of €10,000 for saying: “I was like: ‘F*ck,’” while reflecting on his experience at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
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Outside racing penalties, the most common FIA sanction is fines and the drivers are displeased with the policy.
“The GPDA has, on countless occasions, expressed its view that driver monetary fines are not appropriate for our sport,” the statement continued. “For the past three years we have called upon the FIA president to share the details and strategy regarding how the FIA’s financial fines are allocated and where the funds are spent.
