FIA’s Swearing Crackdown Criticized: McNish Calls for Calm Talks

Allan McNish stresses that resolving F1’s swearing issue requires private discussions with drivers, not public crackdowns from the FIA.

Allan McNish believes the FIA’s crackdown on F1 drivers’ swearing is not a good long-term solution. Audi’s motorsport program coordinator thinks Mohammed Ben Sulayem and federation officials should discuss the matter calmly and privately with the 20 main players in the top category.

“It’s a sensitive issue,” McNish admitted. “If I take off my professional hat and put on my fan hat, it’s about emotion, and I know that as a driver, it’s sometimes very hard to control that emotion in the cockpit.”

“There were times when I said a few words that, thankfully, were never broadcast, and when you’re driving, it’s tough. But at the same time, you don’t always want it to be aired. There are moments and situations where you need to be cautious, and discussing it calmly with them is a very good approach.”

The Scotsman also addressed the sensitive topic of overtaking and what is permissible on track. He noted that overtaking is more frequent today than when he raced, but the rules have become stricter: “Racing has changed a lot, and I don’t remember making overtakes on the outside when I was driving for Toyota, due to the circuits, the tires, the aerodynamics, and a host of other factors.”

“Now, there’s the possibility to overtake on the outside or the inside, and I wouldn’t say it’s equal, but it’s much more frequent, and as drivers, we want genuine overtakes. We want drivers to fight and be forced to overtake.”

“When they have that opportunity and execute it brilliantly, we tip our hats to them. In my time, you could shut the door quite easily without any repercussions. You could push someone off the track without consequences, which was negative, but it was part of the game back then.”

“I think it’s important to ensure we have the means for proper overtakes, and I look forward to that because we always remember the great moves, like Montoya on Schumacher at Turn 1 in São Paulo. Those are the moments we’ll recall when we look back.”