Oscar Piastri recently appeared on ‘The Fast and the Curious’ podcast where he discussed his stunning win in Baku earlier this year. Despite not having the quickest car for that race, the Australian managed to keep Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at bay for 35 laps.
Since Piastri had to deal with so much pressure, he felt like swearing but he was not allowed to, per McLaren’s decree. Speaking of the same, he explained,
“The more laps I did (in Baku), the more relaxed I got actually because the first five or 10 laps, I was kind of…McLaren told me I am not allowed to swear…So, I was bricking in”.
On hearing Piastri‘s remarks, the hosts of the podcast had a laugh before reminding the McLaren driver that he may have to take part in community service if he does swear. One of the hosts then even added that Piastri may be asked to clean up the toilets of the MTC (McLaren Technology Center) if he swore.
Piastri chose an apt moment to discuss this topic, as it has arguably been one of the most discussed topics in F1 after the FIA decided to punish Max Verstappen with community service for simply uttering the F-word during a presser in Singapore.
It’s race week and Oscar’s back on the show for the first time as a DOUBLE Grand Prix winner. Time to deliver on a promise.
(Sorry about the hat, Oscar)#F1 #McLaren pic.twitter.com/lDOgaEdfjK
— The Fast And The Curious (@fastcuriouspod) October 17, 2024
While none of the drivers are happy with how the FIA is tackling the issue of swearing, most do seem to have reluctantly accepted it and decided to move forward. But Verstappen has seemingly taken it upon himself to protest the same.
Verstappen protested FIA’s ban on swearing after the Singapore GP
After the FIA punished Verstappen with community service, the Dutchman did not answer any of the questions of the media during the official FIA press conference. And even when he did, he often gave one-word answers.
However, he did make it clear to the media that he had nothing against them and would answer all of their questions outside the press conference room, a promise the 27-year-old fulfilled. With a driver like Verstappen protesting FIA’s punishment, discussions were bound to happen on this topic.
And they did, with most experts siding with Verstappen. Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner, who is well-known by F1 fans for his unfiltered remarks that often involve swearing, also gave his take on this topic.
Steiner stated that there is nothing explicitly right or wrong in this entire saga, as swearing in pressers or interviews is not acceptable. At the same time, he seconded the notion that drivers cannot control their emotions on the track and need to have the freedom to swear if they want to while racing at 200 mph.
The FIA stewards’ argument in penalizing Verstappen was that they don’t want young children watching F1 to be wrongly influenced by their idols. However, the question that arises is whether it is realistically possible for drivers to control their emotions when they are driving at such high speeds.
