While Max Verstappen dominated the spotlight at the Singapore GP last weekend, it wasn’t due to his racing performance. Instead, he made headlines after the FIA imposed a community service punishment on him for swearing during Thursday’s press conference.
Unsurprisingly, Verstappen was unhappy with the punishment he received and protested by giving one-word answers during the post-qualifying press conference. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko believes that the Dutchman’s protest is likely to have “a positive influence” on young people.
While speaking to Formule1, Marko said, “Max stands behind his values. He can’t just ignore it when he feels he’s being treated unfairly, and he’s talking about it. This can also be interpreted as a positive influence on young people. ‘Always stay true to your values’ could be the message“.
helmut marko to formule1 about max protesting:
“max stands behind his values, he can’t just ignore it when he feels he’s being treated unfairly, and he’s talking about it. this can also be interpreted as a positive influence on young people. ‘always stay true to your values’,… pic.twitter.com/RbvtdZtfC3
— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) September 25, 2024
Marko’s remarks are particularly interesting given that the FIA banned swearing to shield young fans from hearing such language from their role models. This entire fiasco began when Verstappen expressed his frustrations with Red Bull’s RB20 during Thursday’s press conference, stating that the “car was f*****” in Baku.
Why did the FIA punish Verstappen?
A day before Verstappen swore during the Singapore GP pre-race presser, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem had warned all drivers that the governing body would punish them if they used cuss words. However, Verstappen did not take the warning too seriously.
As a result, Verstappen swore during the press conference when asked to explain why he and Red Bull were struggling to match McLaren recently. By ignoring the ban, the FIA decided to penalize him by asking him to do community service.
When asked for his thoughts on the punishment, the Dutchman labeled it a “silly” decision, insisting that this is not the direction he wants F1 to take. To protest, he provided short answers during the press conference and opted to interact with the media personnel after the post-race event had concluded.
With Verstappen taking the time to answer all of the media’s questions outside the press room, it was clear he was eager to express his displeasure with the FIA’s punishment. He garnered support from both Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris, who were confused with the FIA’s ruling.
Hamilton even suggested that Verstappen should not participate in the community service mandated by the FIA, stating that if he were in Verstappen’s position, he would choose not to attend.
