The FIA have announced severe new punishments for Formula 1 drivers who are guilty of misconduct. That includes swearing, as well as criticising the sport’s governing body.
They have made changes to the sporting code for 2025, allowing them to ban a driver for up to one month if they commit three such offences. The FIA are also willing to deduct championship points.
This follows the controversy surrounding Max Verstappen’s swearing penalty at the Singapore Grand Prix. Verstappen had to carry out community service after swearing in an FIA press conference.
The Dutchman served the punishment when he visited Rwanda for the end-of-season prizegiving. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc received a fine for a similar offence.
Verstappen had a meeting with Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the FIA president, at the penultimate race of the season in Qatar. He explained why he felt the sanctions were unfair.
But that doesn’t seem to have had any impact on Ben Sulayem. In fact, he’s introduced a further clampdown for the season ahead.
Red Bull offer subtle reaction to new F1 swearing punishments after Max Verstappen controversy
Writing on their Threads account, Red Bull appeared to respond to the sporting code changes. Given that Verstappen was at the centre of the controversy, they’re likely to feel particularly strongly about them.
The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association released a statement on a newly-setup Instagram account at the start of November questioning the FIA’s governance. They pointed out that there was a difference between ‘casual swearing’ and expletives ‘intended to insult others’.
Red Bull only used three words in their Threads post: “If we speak…”
This is a reference to an interview given by former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho. In 2014, after a 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa, the then Chelsea boss refused to criticise the referee’s performance.
Mourinho said ‘if I’m speak, I’m in big trouble’, a quote that has become well-known among British sports fans. He knew he could receive a heavy fine for slamming the official, and F1 drivers are in the same boat heading into the new season.
Max Verstappen once labelled steward an ‘idiot’ after receiving a penalty
Verstappen has a history of clashing with the FIA. Back in 2017, just his second year at Red Bull, he lost a podium at the United States GP for a perceived breach of the racing rules in a last-lap battle with Kimi Raikkonen.
After receiving a five-second penalty, he had to leave the cooldown room before receiving his trophy. A furious Verstappen called one of the stewards an ‘idiot’.
At the end of the 2024 season, Verstappen clashed with GPDA chief Russell. He supposedly threatened to put the Mercedes driver ‘on his head in the wall’ in a dispute over a qualifying penalty.
However, the FIA chose not to investigate Verstappen for the alleged comment. They felt they didn’t have enough evidence to proceed.
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