Max Verstappen has regurgitated his displeasure at being punished by the FIA for swearing, claiming that Formula 1 drivers are being treated like “little kids”.
Verstappen was given a one-day community service order by the FIA after using harsh language in a press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix in September.
In response, Verstappen spent the remainder of the weekend giving shrift answers to questions and holding impromptu media events within Red Bull’s hospitality suites.
The Dutchman has once more reiterated his disapproval at the punishment that he was handed, citing that the sport has gone in the wrong direction with the clampdown.
“That’s something I don’t like about F1,” Verstappen told Viaplay.
“Of course, I understand that you can’t swear in a press conference, but it was an expression that came out very quickly.
“We all grew up like that, people sat there too. And some people say: ‘My five-year-old grandson is watching this too.’
“When I was five years old, I was also sitting among adults and swearing.
“You want to behave harshly like a child towards others. That’s part of it.
“Of course, you have to watch your language, but to be punished like a little kid makes me wonder: what are we doing in this sport?”
Verstappen a martyr for the cause
The punishment came as part of new measures brought by the FIA, with a rewording to the rules at the behest of its president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
Ben Sulayem expressed at the time that F1 drivers need to “differentiate between our sport – motorsport – and rap music,” adding: “We’re not rappers.”
As a result, Verstappen became something of a martyr, with many of his rivals coming out on the Dutchman’s side, with the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association issuing a strongly-worded rebuke of Ben Sulayem’s new rulings.
In it, the GPDA urged Ben Sulayem to “consider his own tone”, adding: “Further, our members are adults, they do not need to be given instructions via the media, about matters as trivial as the wearing of jewellery and underpants.”
The rulings have also come amid a time of great turbulence for the FIA, which has seen the departure of several high-profile employees, casting aspersions on the leadership of Ben Sulayem, who is also seeking to change its procedures on ethics complaints, which would enhance his own autonomy rather than any issues raised going towards an independent auditor.
READ MORE – Mohammed Ben Sulayem says FIA is ‘none of the F1 drivers business’
