Max Verstappen will serve a community service penalty for swearing at an FIA press conference in Rwanda, where the Formula 1 steering committee is holding its end-of-season awards this week.
Verstappen will be officially crowned 2024 world champion at the FIA’s annual awards ceremony on Friday night. The awards ceremony will be held in Africa for the first time this year in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. Part of his visit.
A Red Bull driver has been awarded F1’s equivalent of community service for September’s Singapore Grand Prix after using an expletive to describe the performance of a Red Bull car at a previous event during a press conference on Thursday.
A steward attending the event said Verstappen’s language was considered “harsh, rude” and “could cause offense” but noted his comments were not aimed at any individual or group.
But the ruling said Verstappen was subject to a “greater punishment” than had previously been imposed in other similar circumstances because “this topic has been raised before and is well known to his rivals” and the Dutchman “had an obligation to achieve this.” “There is,” he added. “Something for the public good.”
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Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris don’t think it’s right that Max Verstappen received an abusive penalty from the FIA.
“The FIA has published details of Max Verstappen’s ‘public service’ obligations in relation to the stewards’ punishment for the use of unacceptable language at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix drivers’ press conference,” the FIA said in a statement.
“Verstappen will attend the FIA Awards Ceremony at the General Assembly in Kigali, Rwanda next week where he will be looking to win his fourth consecutive FIA Formula One World Championship trophy.
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On the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Guenther Steiner gave his thoughts on Max Verstappen receiving community service for his abusive language during a press conference.
“This activity includes the FIA Affordable Cross Car, built locally in Rwanda by RAC based on blueprints provided by the FIA.
“The design blueprint for the Level 2 Category Affordable Cross Car project has been delivered to a global network of 147 National Sports Authorities (ASNs).”
The punishment comes after FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said in an interview published the same day that he wanted to reduce the broadcast of driver profanity on F1’s global TV feed and that the sport’s stars have a responsibility to be mindful of their actions. I lost. Language too.
In protest of his sanctions, Verstappen limited his answers to questions on two occasions at the FIA press conference in Singapore and instead conducted his own media session with journalists, giving longer answers later.
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