The Singapore Grand Prix weekend gave F1 fans quite the drama as Max Verstappen and the sport’s governing body, the FIA, were engaged in a back-and-forth about the use of offensive language during the broadcast. The issue revolved around the Red Bull driver’s use of swear words during the Thursday press conference. And now Fernando Alonso, F1’s most experienced driver, has opened up about his feelings over the matter.
In a recent conversation with Rajesh Varrier, Cognizant’s EVP & Global Head of Operations, Alonso discussed the role of drivers and the responsibilities they carry in the way they conduct themselves in front of the media, especially because Formula 1 has such a massive fanbase across the globe.
He explained how oftentimes he has to control himself and be wary of what he says when he’s in front of the camera. He said, “I think it’s a huge responsibility because you are a role model for many people, so you have to behave properly and you have to be ready to be a role model when you want to do it and when you don’t want to do it”. He then added,
“When you want to say something that is not correct, you have to hold yourself and be politically correct… So, until you are a driver or you are in the the public spotlight, you need to behave properly”
One of the main reasons why FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem introduced the ban on swear words at the start of the week was the fact that several F1 fans are kids, who look up to drivers as their role models.
Verstappen shut down Ben Sulayem’s argument about kids
When Verstappen was asked by the moderator to be aware of the language he was using during the conference as kids might be watching him, the Dutchman was quick to shut down the argument altogether. He believes that kids will eventually learn to swear anyway as they grow up, regardless of whether or not they hear F1 drivers swearing.
“Excuse me for the language but come on, what are we? Five-year-olds, six-year-olds,” Verstappen asked in frustration. “Even if a five-year-old or six-year-old is watching, they will eventually swear anyway even if their parents won’t or they will not allow it. When they grow up, they will walk around with their friends and they will be swearing. So, this is not changing anything.”
️ | 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
As a result of the offensive language he used, Verstappen eventually ended up getting a day of community service as punishment and he was (along with his fellow drivers) extremely disappointed with how the FIA dealt with the situation.
He then retaliated for the rest of the weekend, refusing to answer the questions from reporters or just saying a few words when he did answer. He even suggested that he would be more willing to answer the questions freely if they were being asked outside of the official FIA press conference, conducting a sort of his own mini-conference afterward.
