Max Verstappen took part in a sarcastic debate regarding Formula 1 and swearing after a season where he was caught up in the sport’s clampdown.

It was ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix that FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem called for the series to stamp out fruity language, with Verstappen soon hauled up as part of that clampdown, having used the term f****d in reference to his Red Bull RB20.

Max Verstappen sarcastically criticises swearing

Verstappen was told to carry out “some work of public interest” as his punishment for swearing – the community service turning out to be grassroots motorsport work in Rwanda where the FIA held its end-of-season prize giving gala – with the Dutchman protesting his penalty by giving very short answers in the FIA press conferences which followed in Singapore.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff – who made his desire to bring four-time World Champion Verstappen to the team quite clear last season – recently claimed that his seven-year-old son now swears because of the language used in Formula 1.

Wolff said: “I have a seven-year-old that go-karts and that watches everything. It is the first time, a few months ago, that he said, ‘What the f**k’, and I said, ‘Where did you hear that from?’ He said from the drivers.

“So I have my conflicts with Mohammed, but in that instance the drivers, all of the drivers, are role models. They are on air and they are entitled, and they are empowered.

“I disagree with many of the other things that he came up with, but on that one, I think if you translate ‘f**k’ into your own language or my language, it is pretty rude. I would never say that on the radio.

“George [Russell] and I, and Lewis [Hamilton] had this conversation, and they know I don’t like it. So I am perfectly fine that we are really able to limit that. There are a handful of drivers, some native, some not, that come out with the things and, for me, I would be happy to sanction that even more. That’s just my opinion.”

And when a Team Redline team-mate of Verstappen’s swore during a stream, Verstappen quipped: “Dom, you cannot swear like that. I wouldn’t want my five-year-old to see that.”

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That sparked a satirical conversation about kids swearing, with it put to Verstappen that they have been “influenced” by watching Formula 1.

“Yeah, of course. I wouldn’t want my five-year-old to see that,” Verstappen sarcastically replied.

Told – again jokingly – that it was “disgusting really”, Verstappen quipped back: “Yeah, it’s terrible… Shocking actually. Should have been banned.”

Verstappen was not the only driver who the FIA took action against in 2024 over swearing, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc fined €10,000 [$10,400], [£7,700] for swearing in a press conference at the Mexican Grand Prix, half of that amount suspended for 12 months based on him not doing it again in that timeframe.

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