Max Verstappen’s loophole defence rejected as F1 star is punished for swearing

Max Verstappen has been ordered to perform ‘work of public interest’ after swearing during a Formula 1 press conference.

The three-time world champion was caught swearing when describing the performance of his team’s car following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Verstappen said that his Red Bull car was “f***ed”, leading the FIA, Formula One’s governing body, to deem his language ‘coarse’ and ‘rude’.

The FIA stated the Dutchman’s language was ‘not considered suitable for broadcast’ and constituted ‘misconduct’ under the International Sporting Code.

It was, however, noted that his words were not directed at any individual or group.

Verstappen protested that the word he used is common in speech as he learned it, with English not being his native language.

However that wasn’t enough for him to escape punishment, with stewards stressing the importance of mindfulness when speaking publicly.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem spoke about the topic of swearing over team radio and said: “We have to differentiate between our sport – motorsport – and rap music.

“We’re not rappers, you know. They say the F-word how many times per minute? We are not on that. That’s them and we are [us].”

Those comments didn’t go down well with Lewis Hamilton, who said: “With what he said, I don’t like how he expressed it. Saying rappers is very stereotypical as most rappers are black.

“It really kind of points towards, ‘We are not like them’, so I think those were the wrong choice of words and there’s a racial element there.

“I agree things need clearing up a bit but it is also good to have some emotion as we are not robots.”

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Responding to Ben Sulayem’s comments, Verstappen said: “I sometimes swear, that’s true, but that will apply to everyone in this room.

“Insulting someone is something else. 

“We are unlucky that it is all broadcast and people can then pick it up. The car is f***ed – can’t I say that? How old are we, five or six years old? That is ridiculous. 

“And even if children of that age watch this, when they get a bit older they will probably also use a swear word when they are with their friends.”

Verstappen’s next race will be on Sunday, September 22 when he competes in the Singapore Grand Prix.