3 months ago
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MAX VERSTAPPEN has threatened to quit Formula One in the wake of his community service order for swearing.
The three-time world champ was sanctioned by the FIA after he let an F-bomb slip while speaking to the press after Friday’s practice before the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday.
Max Verstappen has alluded to turning his back on F1
After the FIA gave him a bizarre punishment for swearing after the Azerbaijan GPReferring to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix two weeks ago, where Verstappen finished fifth, he said: “The car was f***ed.”
The Dutchman was summoned to the stewards for his comment, which was in breach of the sporting code.
Stewards in Singapore decided that Verstappen has to “accomplish some work of public interest” for using language they deemed “coarse, rude or may cause offence”.
The 26-year-old effectively boycotted the FIA’s mandatory post-qualifying media call on Saturday in response.
He then kept his answers to a minimum by replying “no comment” to one question after he finished second in the race to title rival Lando Norris on Sunday.
Away from the FIA’s official press conference, he was asked during a separate press call with Red Bull if the punishment has left him considering his future.
Verstappen said: “These kind of things definitely decide my future, if you can’t be yourself or you have to deal with these silly things.
“I’m now at the stage of my career that you don’t want to be dealing with this all the time. It’s really tiring.
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“Of course it’s great to have success and win races, but once you’ve accomplished all of that, then you want to just have a good time as well.
“If you have to deal with all these kinds of silly things, for me that is not a way of continuing in this sport, that’s for sure.”
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem on Verstappen's community service punishment
The FIA President said: “I mean, we have to differentiate between our sport – motorsport – and rap music.
“We’re not rappers, you know. They say the F-word how many times per minute? We are not on that. That’s them and we are [us].
“We have to be careful with our conduct. We need to be responsible people.
“And now with the technology, everything is going live and everything is going to be recorded.
“At the end of the day, we have to study that to see: do we minimise what is being said publicly?
“Because imagine you are sitting with your children and watching the race and then someone is saying all of this dirty language. I mean, what would your children or grandchildren say? What would you teach them if that is your sport?”
The finer details of the “public interest” punishment have not yet been revealed.
The sanction comes after FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem warned against the use of foul language in the sport.
Verstappen stated at last month’s Dutch Grand Prix that he is already halfway through his career.
He said: “I will always be myself. I will not change how I am in my life.
“At one point when it’s enough it’s enough. Racing will go on, and F1 will go on without me.
“If you can’t really be yourself to the fullest, then it’s better not to speak. But that’s not what anyone wants, because then you become a robot, and that’s not how you should be going about it in this sport.”
The Red Bull star, who is under contract until 2028, has previously questioned the demands of the ever-expanding calendar.
He is currently 52 points ahead of Norris in the standings with six races remaining as he bids for a fourth consecutive world title.
F1 returns to Austin on 0ctober 10.
Lando Norris close the gap on Verstappen with a first place finish in Singapore
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