Verstappen completes community service in Rwanda

The now four-time Formula One World Champion Max Verstappen has completed his community service in Rwanda which was the penalty he received for the use of bad language in Singapore.

On the eve of the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the FIA announced the details of Max Verstappen’s “work of public interest” duty that the Dutchman was forced to serve after the stewards’ penalty for the use of bad language during the drivers’ press conference at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.

Ahead of the annual FIA Prize-Giving Ceremony, the newly-crowned four-time F1 champion served his community service in Rwanda. The Dutch driver would have travelled to Rwanda anyway to collect his trophy for winning the drivers’ championship by 63 points over Lando Norris.

Reflecting on his achievement during the FIA Gala, Verstappen said: “As a kid, when you grow up, you don’t think about these things. You look at the names and think, ‘Wow, that’s really impressive, I hope one day I can be on the podium!’

“But, sometimes you get lucky in life… you’re in the right place at the right time! Luckily I’ve been able to do that. It’s amazing. Four titles is incredible.

“Of course I also hope it doesn’t stop here, that we can be successful over a longer period of time. For the moment it’s very important to enjoy the moment, be proud of what we have achieved, also as a team, and try again next year.”

Commenting on Verstappen’s community service, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: “[Max] really fulfilled his promise.

“This is the community service we need every single driver, champion, to do if we want to grow. If we talk about diversity: this is the real diversity. It was not about the car, mainly about the people there.”

Controversy around the use of bad language

The issue arose after Mohammed Ben Sulayem had issued a statement midway through the season, indicating that the FIA will take a stricter approach regarding swearing. Just days after the FIA President’s announcement, reigning world champion Max Verstappen was investigated for using bad language at the Singapore Grand Prix.

The Dutch racer was due to attend FIA’s press conference that usually takes place on Thursday ahead of race weekends. The reigning champion used bad language for which he was summoned to the stewards.

The incident happened after Verstappen was asked to reflect on the performance of his car, describing his car’s setup at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as “f—ed”.

After the stewards reviewed the audio transcript and heard from the driver and Red Bull team representatives, they elected to punish Verstappen for swearing in the pre-event press conference, obliging the Red Bull driver “to accomplish some work of public interest”.

Most recently, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was fined €10,000 in Brazil for swearing during the press conference which followed the Mexico City Grand Prix.