Formula One: Max Verstappen riled by call for drivers to swear less – ‘are we 5-year-olds?’
Lewis Hamilton agrees there is too much swearing but says there is ‘a racial element’ to FIA president’s reference to ‘foul-mouthed rappers’
Max Verstappen said Formula One should not air team radio if the sport was concerned about bad language after the head of the governing FIA compared drivers to foul-mouthed rappers.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem told motorsport.com the FIA had asked Formula One Management to minimise the amount of swearing on television. The Emirati said drivers also had a responsibility.
Ben Sulayem questioned the number of times drivers “say the F word”, adding the organisation was “not rappers” and raising concerns over its impact on the family friendly nature of the sport.
“Imagine you are sitting with your children and watching the race and then someone is saying all of this dirty language,” he said. “I mean, what would your children or grandchildren say? What would you teach them if that is your sport?”
Verstappen, asked about the comments moments after using the very same ‘F word’ in an FIA press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix to describe the state of his car, suggested the governing body was going too far.
“Everyone swears, some people a bit more than others,” said the Red Bull triple world champion and current championship leader. “Of course, abuse is something else … but I think a lot of things get broadcast nowadays where in other sports you don’t run around with a mike attached to you.
