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There’s been a lot of talk after Max Verstappen swore during a press conference while talking about Red Bull’s performance, especially since he wasn’t happy with his car in Azerbaijan. It’s well-known that Verstappen is a fiery character and doesn’t handle losing very well. He showed that clearly in the last race when things didn’t go his way.
Fans have mixed opinions about this issue, not sure if drivers should face consequences for such outbursts. It’s completely understandable to feel intense emotions when things aren’t going smoothly, especially in a high-pressure environment like Formula 1.
However, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem mentioned before the last race that he plans to make changes to reduce the use of offensive language during F1 sessions. As a result, Verstappen will face a penalty and will have to do some form of community service.
His colleagues also decided to respond to the situation, and one of the first to speak out was Lando Norris. The British driver expressed his dissatisfaction with how things are growing. He pointed out that during a race, it’s natural to have such heated reactions due to the adrenaline, competition, and desire to succeed. Norris emphasized that it’s easy to judge from the outside, but he understands that drivers give their all on the track, and sometimes these reactions are just a part of the sport.
"They can just not play the radios. So it's quite simple from their side. We're the guys in the heat of the moment, under stress, under pressure, fighting, having big crashes.
It's just a lot easier for them to say than for us to do because we're out there putting our hearts on the line trying to race people. We are giving it our all, our heart rates are so high. We are just putting our passion and our love into it."-Norris said, as quoted by f1technical.
The McLaren driver believes that swearing will always happen, especially when things aren’t going well for a driver. Each one of them wants to achieve good results, fight for the top positions, and create success for their team. The British driver points out that this situation is probably similar in other sports, but it doesn’t get the same attention. The big question now is whether changes will come soon or if F1 leaders will just leave things as they are.
"There’s going to be some bad words on the end of it. That’s just because we are trying and wanting to give our best and we feel hard done by when things don’t go right. If it’s because of excitement it’s because we are happy with what goes into it. I'm sure you have it in every other sport it's just not always recorded."- he continued.
Norris stressed that the Formula One Management (FOM) has the power to choose whether to air certain comments or not. He thinks it’s more on them to manage what gets broadcast instead of expecting the drivers to change their behavior. After all, the drivers are under a lot of pressure and stress while trying to communicate important things to their teams.
However, FOM knows what kind of content will grab fans' attention and spark reactions, so there are likely specific motives behind their decisions. It seems that the main goal for all sports today is to create excitement and attract attention, often without caring much about how they do it. In Verstappen’s case, FOM is seen as the main “culprit” for allowing such moments to be aired.
McLaren driver also mentioned that he doesn’t believe swearing should be banned. He thinks it’s important to hear the thoughts and feelings of the drivers. If people want to hear more polished and controlled speech, there are plenty of other sports they can watch.
Max Verstappen reacted
Verstappen himself, during the same press conference where he swore, expressed his opposition to any bans on swearing, especially when it comes to racing and broadcasters. The Dutch driver feels a bit frustrated by the fact that every word they say is closely monitored and that there’s always a microphone attached to them. 26-year-old driver believes that in any area of life, including sports, things can get chaotic, and people often say harsh things when situations aren’t going well and adrenaline is high.
However, it seems that the FIA isn’t open to such perspectives. They want to maintain the same standards as before and protect their reputation. Lewis Hamilton also criticized the FIA's decisions, particularly those made by Mohammed Ben Sulayem, sharing a similar view to his fellow driver.
We will see if there will be any changes in the coming period.
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