‘Are we five years old?’ – Verstappen fires X-rated response at F1 boss

Max Verstappen responded to complaints about drivers’ bad language in typically hilarious fashion.

The reigning three-time Formula 1 world champion was asked to respond to comments from FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem about swearing over team radio.

Ben Sulayem had earlier 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].”

And when those comments were put to Verstappen at Thursday’s Singapore Grand Prix press conference, he quickly had the room in stitches.

“I sometimes swear, that’s true, but that will apply to everyone in this room,” he began. “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.”

Ben Sulayem’s comments came a week on from a particularly sweary Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The major flash point of Sunday’s race came when Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz crashed in spectacular fashion while battling for third place with two laps to go.

The broadcast footage quickly revealed what Perez said to his team, and it wasn’t pretty.

“What the f*** is he doing there?” he yelled down his team radio. “What the f***. Is he crazy or what? F****** idiot.”

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In a wider context, Ben Sulayem’s quotes were just the latest in a string of comments that are likely to go down badly with the grid, and not just Verstappen.

In June 2022 he said there was ‘no way’ he would ‘impose his beliefs on other people’ in an apparent reference to Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel promoting equal rights.

The comments were roundly criticised, with Hamilton saying: “Nothing changes for me, I’ll continue to do what I do with or without support.

“I think Formula 1 created a space for us to be able to do what we wanted to do last year and we don’t necessarily have that space this year but it doesn’t stop us.”

In the aftermath, Ben Sulayem, who is responsible for all motorsports under the FIA’s governance, announced in a letter to team principals that he would be stepping away from the day-to-day running of F1.