Drivers Unite No Support for Ben Sulayem’s Decision

FIA Holds Fire: No New Penalties for Verstappen’s Outburst

22/09/2024

Despite Verstappen’s fiery protest, the FIA imposes no new sanctions; drivers collectively dissent from Ben Sulayem’s ruling.

“Nobody” on the Formula 1 grid agrees with the FIA’s new crackdown on swearing, according to the head of the drivers’ union.

Following the qualifying session in Singapore, Max Verstappen staged a protest against his penalty for uttering “f**k” during the FIA’s official Thursday press conference.

During the post-qualifying FIA press conference, he categorically refused to answer questions.

Naturally, FIA officials visited Red Bull and Verstappen after his disruption of the post-qualification press conference. After contacting the FIA to see if Verstappen could be further punished for his post-qualification protest, the governing body stated that “the matter was closed.”

Wurz, present in Singapore, admitted that FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s crusade against foul language had been a major topic of conversation in the F1 drivers’ GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers’ Association) WhatsApp discussion group.

“Nobody in the chat thinks it’s cool. All the drivers are upset about it.”

Wurz added that it was “unusual” for the FIA president not to have warned the drivers before “deciding to immediately make the matter public” and imposing the type of sanctions meted out to Verstappen.

“Of course, one must be careful in the choice of words,” said the 50-year-old Austrian. “But these days, it’s also very difficult for a driver to remain authentic and be who they want to be.”

“Personally, I’m not a fan of verbal attacks on competitors,” Wurz continued. “But if Max has complaints about his car, he should discuss it only with his team boss.”

As for Verstappen, he confirmed that although Wurz, Norris, Hamilton, and one or two others had offered him public support, “generally, everyone knows what everyone thinks.”

Drivers Unite No Support for Ben Sulayem’s Decision

Drivers Unite: No Support for Ben Sulayem’s Decision Drivers Unite: No Support for Ben Sulayem’s Decision

F1 Standings 2025
F1 Standings 2025
#
Driver
Points
1
Driver Flag
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
0
2
Driver Flag
Lando Norris
McLaren
0
3
Driver Flag
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
0
4
Driver Flag
Oscar Piastri
McLaren
0
5
Driver Flag
Carlos Sainz
Williams
0
6
Driver Flag
George Russell
Mercedes
0
#
Team
Points
1
McLaren
Norris & Piastri
0
2
Ferrari
Leclerc & Hamilton
0
3
Red Bull
Verstappen & Lawson
0
4
Mercedes
Russell & Antonelli
0
5
Aston Martin
Alonso & Stroll
0
6
Alpine
Gasly & Doohan
0
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