The FIA fining F1 personnel for swearing isn’t new, but their clampdown in the closing stages of the 2024 season has undeniably taken things a step further.
The governing body of the sport updated its regulations, with increased fines ranging from $41,000 to $125,000 for drivers found guilty of swearing or misconduct. This includes slip-ups in press conferences or even on team radio during races.
Now, even team principals could come under fire if they commit similar offenses. And Guenther Steiner knows that’s more than just a possibility — he was once on the receiving end of a $7,900 fine for criticizing a steward in Russia in 2019 after his driver, Kevin Magnussen, was penalized. Because of that, the Dane got demoted from P8 to P9 and Steiner couldn’t control his outrage. “If we didn’t have stupid idiotic steward we would be 8th,” he said.
Unfortunately, he had to pay up for calling the official stupid. So, when Steiner was recently asked about the rule changes, he honestly admitted that he isn’t a huge fan.
“My opinion on it is, a sport lives off emotions and when you are going 200 mph and somebody cuts you off, you are not like there ‘Oh, excuse me, can you do this different?’,” Steiner said on the chat show ‘The Project’.
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The ex-Haas team principal also joked with the host that if drivers kept swearing in retaliation to the FIA’s mandate, they would soon go bankrupt, suggesting that he believes the governing body may not back down anytime soon.
However, the FIA has shown signs of handling some cases of swearing and misconduct more leniently, depending on the circumstances and context of the comments made.
How FIA is going to implement its swearing fines
The first instance of possible abusive behavior in the F1 sphere in 2025 occurred during pre-season testing in Bahrain when Max Verstappen raised his middle finger at someone while sitting in his cockpit and heading out onto the track from the pit lane.
Many felt that Verstappen would receive a fine from the FIA for that gesture, but fortunately, no action was taken. This suggested that the FIA might be willing to let drivers off the hook for some incidents.
Meanwhile, two separate instances in the Rallying and Formula E World Championships demonstrated how the FIA could be implementing its new rules in other disciplines.
Rally driver Adrien Fourmaux became the first to receive a fine under the new regulations for swearing during an official media session. Fourmaux dropped the F-bomb in a press conference, resulting in a $10,500 fine, with an additional $20,000 suspended in case of a future infringement. This was similar to what Verstappen had said during the Singapore GP press conference in September 2024, for which he had received a community service punishment.
On the other hand, when Formula E driver Dan Ticktum went on a rant on team radio using multiple expletives on team radio, the FIA did not take any action.
So, drivers who were afraid of being candid on the team radio can seemingly take it easy.
