By Joiner Martinez
Sep 20, 2024, 6:05 PM EDT
The Formula 1 season has taken a drastic turn and Red Bull’s hegemony is shaken. After winning seven of the first ten races of the calendar, the performance of the car has stopped being the same and Max Verstappen continues to show his anger with the team.
In an interview on Thursday prior to the Singapore Grand Prix, the Dutchman made some off-color comments and the FIA stewards decided to sanction him: he must perform community service.
The outlook is increasingly bleak for the team led by Christian Horner and, after losing the lead in the constructors’ championship to McLaren, the weekend at the circuit located in Marina Bay tends to continue in the same vein.
Verstappen is not comfortable in the seat and does not hold back when it comes to giving his opinion on the level of the car. “I don’t know, the configuration is different. When I entered the classification, I knew that the car was fucked,” the driver said in relation to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
These words did not go down well with the FIA, who had already called the Dutchman’s attention for the language used in communications with his team in the paddock during races. The organising body tries to use respectful language throughout the weekend, whether at press conferences or on the car, which it considers to be public forums.
These rules are especially aimed at the most renowned drivers and champions of the category, items that Mad Max more than fulfills.
The remarks were considered “rude” and “offensive” to a certain part of the public that follows the Maxim. Article 20 of the International Sporting Code (in its violation of article 12.2.1.k.) considers this to be an “inappropriate attitude” and must be punished by the organizers.
“The Stewards decided to order a greater sanction than the previous one and that Verstappen be “required to carry out some work in the public interest”, in coordination with the FIA Secretary General for Sport,” the FIA statement said.
“It wasn’t even a bad word. The car was shit. Forgive the language, but it is what it was!” was the world champion’s response. At the same time, he stressed that it is normal for drivers with the adrenaline they have to say phrases of this nature: “We all use those words, it’s part of the environment, although some do it more than others.”
The controversy spread throughout the category’s paddock and several well-known faces gave their opinion on the issue. One of them was Mohammed Ben Sulayen, president of the FIA, who expressed some discomfort at the use of inappropriate words. “We must differentiate ourselves from other genres such as rap, where the use of bad words is recurrent. We are not that,” he stressed.
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