Formula 1 drivers have been told they could face hefty fines or even race bans if they fall foul of new rules around misconduct introduced by the FIA.
The governing body issues updated guidelines for stewards in the International Sporting Code, which states the tariffs that could be imposed on drivers if they fall foul of Article 12.2.1.
These changes come after a row between the FIA and drivers last year, in which President Mohammed Ben Sulayem wanted to crack down on offensive language being used by drivers.
Max Verstappen was the first driver to fall foul of the rules at the Singapore GP when he swore in an official press conference, while Charles Leclerc was also handed a €10,000 (£8,300) fine for using the same word during another press conference.
Now drivers could face four times the standard tariff imposed by the FIA, meaning in a first offence they could be handed a €40,000 (£33,800); a second offence €80,000 (£67,600) and a suspended one-month suspension from competition; and a third offence €120,000 (£101,000) fine, a one-month suspension, and an unspecified points deduction.
Peter Windsor has suggested one way F1 teams could stop drivers from swearing altogether when speaking on the Cameron CC podcast.
Peter Windsor suggests F1 teams take $1m fine for swearing
Currently, it will be the drivers that pay out the fines to FIA if they fall foul of the new rules. But Windsor thinks the astronomical fines could be paid by the teams if they really wanted to stamp out drivers using foul language and other instances of misconduct.
“I think the teams should be penalised or points should be deducted or something like that from the Constructors’ Championship,” said Windsor.
“Because it’s not the fault of the drivers, I know they are the mouthpieces and you might say ‘Oh they are all over 21 years old’ but these guys do something we mortals can’t do, and the reason we can’t do it is because they have spent all their lives honing in on a talent that we could only dream of. So they’re a rarified atmosphere.
“If the penalty was $1m and it was applied to the teams, I could tell you tomorrow all the teams would have it sorted and the drivers would never ever be in danger of swearing again.”
Alex Wurtz says Grand Prix Drivers Association found out about fines through media
The new fines were released quietly by the FIA through the latest issue of the ISC in January, with no official announcement from the governing body.
When asked whether the drivers were consulted on the fines by F1 Oversteer, Alex Wurtz, who is chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers Association, explained how they found out the news.
“There was no consultation, we read it through the media. There could be room for improvement and we are working together. The comparison is with the NFL in America, they do have unionisation of their players and they are involved in the process. In this case, we are not involved. I’m not sure if the FIA has its own driver commission, let’s hope we don’t have many fines being collected,” said Wurtz.
The new rules appear to prove George Russell right, with the Briton previously saying he was ‘fed up’ with the whole situation. It also comes a few months after the GPDA issued a statement on Instagram, saying they felt like the governing body was not treating them ‘like adults’ and raised some concerns to the FIA President.
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