WRC drivers have taken a stand against the FIA’s “unrealistic” ban on swearing, calling for communication with motorsport’s governing body to find an “urgent solution”.

Last year FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem ordered a clampdown on drivers swearing, leading to a day of community service for Max Verstappen and a monetary fine for Charles Leclerc with both swearing during FIA press conferences.

WRC drivers tell FIA: We strongly believe that…

This year Ben Sulayem’s FIA is taking an even harder stance with the release of an updated version of the FIA’s sporting code laying out guidelines for harsh punishments for offences committed under Article 12, which includes misconduct, bad language and causing ‘moral injury’ to motorsport’s governing body.

The punishments were laid out based on a sliding scale determined by the FIA’s competition level, with a specific tier reserved for F1 where base fines should be multiplied by four. The World Rally Championship falls under tier three, with base fines multiplied by three.

Any driver committing a second offense could be suspended while a third offense could including the docking of championship points as part of the punishment.

Earlier this month the new guidelines claimed their first victim with WRC driver Adrien Fourmaux fined €10,000 for using the F-word.

Asked for his thoughts on his performance at the Rally Sweden, he replied: “I had a clean stage, the ruts are really tricky. I think it will be difficult to do a good time. There is a lot of sweeping in the beginning. We f***ed up yesterday [referring to a stage 11 incident].”

Breaching Article 12 of the 2025 FIA International Sporting Code, Fourmaux was handed a €10,000 fine, with a further €20,000 suspended for 12 months.

The stewards mitigated the fine based on Fourmaux not English ‘not’ being his native language, the F-word a ‘colloquial term in certain cultures’ while they also cited that the ‘remark was self-referential’.

WoRDA, the newly-formed world rally drivers alliance, issued a statement strongly opposing the FIA’s “unacceptable” penalties, calling on motorsport’s governing to engage with the drivers to find an “urgent solution”.

The WoRDA statement in full:

The Rally Drivers and Co-drivers of WoRDA, inspired by their GPDA colleagues, join together to express their opinion, seek clarity and co-operate towards a brighter future.

First and foremost, we wish to state that, as is the case with every sport, competitors must abide by the Referee’s decision. The respect of this principle is not in question. We are not all full-time professionals, yet we all face the same extreme conditions with the same relentless passion.

Whether navigating through dense forests, across frozen roads in the dead of night, or through the dust of treacherous gravel tracks, we push ourselves to the limit – against the elements, against the clock, and against our own limits. Beyond racing, our role has expanded. Today, rally drivers and co-drivers are not only athletes but also entertainers, content creators, and constant media figures.

From the smartphones of spectators to the official WRC cameras, we are expected to be available at all times – before, during, and after competition, from dawn to dusk.

WoRDA has always recognised our responsibilities and commitment to collaborate in a constructive way with all stakeholders, including the FIA President, in order to promote and elevate our outstanding Sport for the benefit of all.

In recent months, however, there has been an alarming increase in the severity of the sanctions imposed for minor, isolated and unintentional language lapses. This has reached an unacceptable level.”

We strongly believe that:

Common colloquialism cannot be considered and judged as equal to genuine insult or an act of aggression.
Non mother-tongue speakers may use or repeat terms without full awareness of their meaning and connotation.
Seconds after an extreme adrenaline spike, it is unrealistic to expect a perfect and systematic control over emotions.
Rally is Extreme: risk level for the athletes, intensity of the focus, length of the days… all the limits are reached.
In such a case we question the relevance and validity of imposing any sort of penalty. Moreover, the exorbitant fines are vastly disproportionate to the average income and budget in rallying.

We are also concerned with the public impression these excessive sums create in the minds of the fans, suggesting this is an industry where money doesn’t matter.

This also raises a fundamental question where does the money from these fines go?

The lack of transparency only amplifies concerns and undermines confidence in the system. Surely the negative impressions surrounding these penalties far outweigh the impact of any language lapse.

We call for a direct communication and engagement between the FIA President and WoRDA members to find a mutually agreeable and urgent solution.

Sportingly, The Rally Drivers and Co-drivers members of WoRDA

Sebastien Ogier, Kalle Rovanpera, Ott Tanak, Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Jonne Halttunen, Martin Jarveoja, Vincent Landais, Adrien Fourmaux, Alexandre Coria, Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin, Grégoire Munster, Louis Louka, Takamoto Katsuta, Aaron Johnston, Martins Sesks, Francis Renars, Sami Pajari, Marko Salminen, Josh McErlean, Eoin Treacy, Candido Carrera, Gus Greensmith, Jonas Andersson, Yohan Rossel, Arnaud Dunand, Oliver Solberg, Elliott Edmondson, Leo Rossel, Guillaume Mercoiret, Dani Sordo, Julien Ingrassia.

Read next: Bernie Collins questions Red Bull’s ‘second seat’ after Perez exit