Max Verstappen ‘even bigger example’ FIA claim after staging Singapore GP protest

Max Verstappen was unusually quiet in the press conferences in Singapore in protest of a swearing penalty.
An unusually quiet Max Verstappen held his own post-qualifying press conference after being penalized for swearing during a different interview in Singapore.
Though Verstappen stated that he understood that violations of the rules need to be addressed by the stewards, he disagreed with the ultimate decision that he should be required to complete community service for a “slip of the tongue,” arguing that he’s being made an example of.
Max Verstappen: ‘With me, they wanted to set an even bigger example’
In the build-up to the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem spoke out against the trend of drivers cursing on their team radios, arguing that they are F1 drivers and not “rappers.” Multiple drivers spoke out about this statement, including Lewis Hamilton pointing out the “racial element” to the comments, and Max Verstappen noting that the ultimate decision to broadcast radio messages with curse words comes down to the FIA, FOM, and Formula 1 — not the drivers.
But in the pre-race press conference, Verstappen stated that his car was “f****d” in Baku, which triggered a penalty. Rather than a fine, however, Verstappen has been told by the FIA that he has an “obligation to accomplish some work of public interest.” Or, more simply, to engage in community service.
In protest of the decision, Verstappen — who will start the Singapore Grand Prix from the second position on the grid — offered terse, one-word answers during the post-qualifying press conference. Eventually, he requested that anyone with questions meet him outside after the conclusion of the presser; he wouldn’t answer questions where he could “get fined or get an extra thing.”
True to his word, Verstappen held court outside of the conference room after it was over.
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When asked about his behavior in the press conference, Verstappen responded, “I find it ridiculous what happens, so why should I give full answers?
“It’s very easy, apparently, you get a fine or you get some sort of penalty. So I prefer not to speak a lot, save my voice, and we can do the interviews somewhere else.”
That ‘somewhere else’ was outside of the jurisdiction of the FIA, where Verstappen was then free to detail his concerns with his punishment — namely, that he felt that punishment didn’t fit the crime.
“They want to set a precedent, and people got warnings or a little fine,” he explained.
“Now with me, they wanted to set an even bigger example, I guess, which for me is a bit weird because I didn’t swear at anyone particularly. I just said one thing about my car.”
Despite his protest, Verstappen has made it clear that his ire should be directed at the FIA, not to anyone caught in the crossfire. He apologized to press conference host Tom Clarkson and also made it clear that he wasn’t angry with the stewards.
“I don’t want to blame this on the stewards, because I actually had a really good chat with them,” he told media. “They just have to follow the code in the book. I think they’re quite understanding, but it’s difficult for them as well.”
Speaking to Sky F1 after qualifying, Verstappen once again reiterated that he found it “ridiculous” to be penalized for cursing in the press conference.
“I think when you insult someone, that’s pretty clear,” he said of his cursing. “I didn’t even aim at another person. It’s a bit of a slip of the tongue moment.”
Slip of the tongue or not, Verstappen was particularly annoyed that drivers are being actively policed over the language they use, telling Sky F1: “It’s in the rules that [the stewards] have to apply [some penalty for cursing], but for me, it’s not the right way to go in our sport.”
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