Jos Verstappen Raps FIA Over Ongoing Tug of War With Son Max on Use of Swear Words

At the Singapore GP weekend, the FIA penalized Max Verstappen for swearing at a press conference. It was Verstappen’s way of protesting against FIA’s ban on using cuss words, and several people in F1 publicly supported him. The three-time World Champion’s father Jos joined in and recently blasted the FIA for the way it is operating.

“I think that is the most ridiculous thing,” Jos told Autosport. “I don’t think the FIA is doing a very good job.” 

FIA president Mohamed Ben Sulayem came up with the idea of punishing drivers who would use words not ‘deemed appropriate’ before the race in Singapore. Not just Max, but almost every driver found their idea ridiculous.

Even Verstappen‘s rival Lewis Hamilton labeled it a joke. When the FIA announced that Verstappen would have to take up community service because he used the ‘f-word’, Hamilton insisted that he wouldn’t follow through with the punishment if he was in the Red Bull driver’s place.

Jos, who takes part in rallying, also noticed that the FIA was taking similar actions in his discipline for drivers who swore. Sebastian Ogier was given a $35k suspended fine for using some ‘strong words’ against race officials in Greece during an event.

F1 community joins in to support Max

Not just drivers, but also pundits joined in to support Max as he took a stance against the FIA’s latest rule. 1996 World Champion Damon Hill insisted that the rule did not make any sense, as did Sky Sports’ F1 expert Ted Kravitz.

Verstappen, who knows that he has the F1 community’s support, decided to carry forward with his protest when he responded to the media’s questions monosyllabically following the community service ruling. He suggested that he would answer questions in detail only when the FIA would allow them to speak freely.