The FIA has introduced new guidelines under which F1 drivers could receive points deductions or a possible ban for conduct violations, including swearing.
Max Verstappen was ordered that “certain affairs of public interest be carried out” in late 2024 after using an expletive during a press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix.
The Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) called out FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in November in response to the F1 swearing saga, to which the FIA did not respond at the time.
On Wednesday, an updated version of the FIA's International Sporting Code for 2025 was published on the governing body's website with details of the 'guidelines for stewards penalties' in Appendix B to the document.
For a first time breach of misconduct regulations, an F1 driver will be fined €40,000 (£34,000). A second offense would carry a fine of €80,000 (£68,000) and a one-month suspension.
A third offense would be punishable by a fine of €120,000 (£102,000), plus a one-month suspension and forfeiture of championship points.
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Gordon Ramsay gives Sky Sports News' Craig Slater a tour of his pop-up restaurant at the Las Vegas Grand Prix and offers a classic response to the FIA ban on swearing
The same scale of penalties would apply to “any words, acts or writings which cause moral injury or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members or executive officers, and generally to the interests of motor sport and the values defended by the FIA” and “any public incitement to violence or hatred”.
If a driver is found to have violated “the general making and display of political, religious and personal statements or comments that are substantially in violation of the general principle of neutrality promoted by the FIA in accordance with its Statute, unless previously authorized in writing by the FIA for international Competitions, or by the relevant ASN for national competitions within their jurisdiction”, they would be fined and should also issue a full public apology and retract their comments.
What about the most extreme punishment?
It is also possible for an F1 driver to be banned if it is deemed to “fail to comply with the FIA's instructions regarding the appointment and participation of persons during official ceremonies at any event which counts towards the FIA Championship”.
One offense would carry a €60,000 (£50,000) fine, while a second offense would result in a €120,000 (£101,000) fine and “suspension of access to reserved event areas for the next event” – effectively meaning a ban from racing.
Another offense for not following the ceremony's instructions would have resulted in a fine of €180,000 (£152,000) and a six-month suspension from racing.
The guidance document also states that stewards “have the authority to decide what penalty to apply” in the event of a breach of the sporting code and that they “reserve the discretion to take into account any mitigating and/or aggravating circumstances, as well as the nature and location of the event, in order to the punishment was adapted to the specific situation”.
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Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Guenther Steiner gives his thoughts on Max Verstappen getting community service for swearing at a press conference
What happened last year between Verstappen, Ben Sulayem and the FIA?
The issue of swearing was thrust into the spotlight after Ben Sulayem said in an interview published ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix last September that he wanted to see less swearing heard from the radio channels broadcast on the F1 World TV feed.
He said F1 should “differentiate between our sport – motorsport – and rap music” which Lewis Hamilton thought was “stereotypical” language with a “racial element”.
While Ben Sulayem, who became FIA president at the end of 2021 for a four-year term, said he had made the request to Formula 1 itself, the sport's commercial rights holder, he also argued that the drivers themselves had a responsibility to mind their own language.
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Max Verstappen was part of a stunning press conference after qualifying in Singapore as he refused to answer questions in detail following his swearing penalty
Later, on the same day the interview was published, Verstappen was given the F1 equivalent of community service for swearing during a press conference when describing the performance of his Red Bull car, which led to him refusing to give full answers in official media appearances that followed. in the rest. weekend in Singapore.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was then fined €10,000 (£8,420) for using a swear word in a post-race press conference at the Mexico City Grand Prix in October. Although the stewards took into account the fact that Leclerc immediately apologized and appeared contrite, the infringement fine was still levied.
The Grand Prix Drivers' Association, which includes all 20 F1 drivers, issued a statement in November that touched on several points, including swearing, and said “there is a difference between swearing to insult others and more casual swearing, such as you can use to describe bad weather or a really inanimate object like an F1 car, or a driving situation.”
The statement also expressed concern about fines and what is done with money from fines.
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