George Russell has labelled the FIA’s reversal of a ban on swearing as “suspect” and “ludicrous” after the governing body announced major changes to the controversial guideline.

On Thursday, the FIA released an ‘Appendix B’ to its sporting code, stating their swearing will now be seen in two different lights depending on if it is in a ‘controlled’ or ‘non-controlled’ environment.

George Russell reacts to latest FIA swearing ban changes

Having introduced the rule in January, the FIA has downgraded it this week in order to avoid any further backlash from the drivers. Now, swearing in situations like press conferences will be treated differently to swearing whilst behind the wheel while the financial penalties have been reduced.

No F1 driver has yet been hit with a fine for swearing although Max Verstappen was made to do community service last season for calling his car “f**ked.”

Russell, who was one of the most vocal critics of the initial ban, felt it unnecessary to praise the latest change, stating it should never have been introduced in the first place.

“I feel the changes should have never happened in the first place,” Russell, who is a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Accostion, said in Imola. “So we’re talking about a situation where things have been reverted, because it was a little bit ludicrous in the first place.

“We’re happy to see things go back to how they should be, but it should never have been there in the first place. So it feels a bit wrong to be thanking the changes when we shouldn’t have been in that place to begin with.

“It’s a bit of a strange predicament, and we’ve still had no correspondence with anyone from senior level at the FIA. So it’s all a bit suspect.”

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It is not the first time Russell has criticised the silent approach from the FIA. Last season and following race director Niels Wittich’s mid-season departure, the Mercedes driver said there was no announcement to the drivers from the FIA but president Mohammed Ben Sulayem told him to mind his own business.

“None of their business. Sorry,” he told Autosport.

“With all respect, I am a driver. I respect the drivers. Let them go and concentrate on what they do best, which is race.

“Do we have to tell them? When something in the teams changes, do they tell us? No, they don’t. Nobody has to. We have the rules, we follow our rules. We don’t follow someone else’s rule. Simple as this.”

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