“Car Was F*cked”: Max Verstappen Refuses to Follow Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s Crackdown on Swear Words

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has recently asked Formula One Management to issue a clampdown on drivers swearing on the team radios. However, Max Verstappen has already delivered his verdict on this by refusing to abide.

During the Thursday Press Conference for the 2024 Singapore GP, Verstappen was reflecting on a difficult outing for him and Red Bull at the Baku Street Circuit last weekend. While explaining the persisting issues with the RB20, the Dutchman swore, leading to Tom Clarkson issuing a swift apology for the same.

“The car was f*cked. I try to optimize the car all the time and it didn’t work,” explained Verstappen before Clarkson jumped in to say, “Let’s watch our language going forward.” The Dutchman was furious with the RB20 after he not only failed to outqualify teammate Perez for the first time this season at Baku but only managed to finish fifth in the race.

Asked about his lack of pace in Baku compared to his teammate, Max Verstappen says: “The was fuc***. I try to optimise the car all the time and it didn’t work.”

Tom Clarkson: “Let’s watch our language going forward.”

— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) September 19, 2024

When it came to Ben Sulayem’s proposed clampdown on drivers’ swearing on the radio, Verstappen explained why he believes it is unfair for drivers to receive a ban for the same. He explained that drivers like him are not children anymore.

Verstappen slams the FIA’s attempts to censor drivers

In a now-deleted interview with Motorsport.com, Ben Sulayem urged the drivers to refrain from swearing. He had said, “There’s a difference between our sport, motorsport, and rap music.”  

The intention behind the FIA’s request was to protect kids from hearing such language on television. However, Verstappen believes that children will learn such language anyway when they grow up.

He said, “I couldn’t even say the F-word and it’s not even that bad, right? Even if a five-year-old or six-year-old is watching, they will eventually swear anyway. This is not changing anything.” Rather, Verstappen suggested that the broadcasters should stop revealing the team radio conversations.

️ | Max hits back on FIA swearing ban: No broadcast, no concerns

“Even if a five or six-year-old is watching, they will eventually swear anyway, even if the parents want or they will not allow it, when they grow up, they will walk around with their friends and swearing, so… pic.twitter.com/MCXDfScCfS

— RBR News (@redbulletin) September 19, 2024

He believes that censoring the drivers is not at all the right way to go, especially given how intense their emotions are inside the cockpit. Ben Sulayem’s interview with Motorsport.com has since been deleted but the excerpts have been doing the rounds of social media.