FIA president reveals Verstappen reaction to community service

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has revealed Max Verstappen was “so happy” when he learned of his community service duties.

Verstappen was penalised for swearing in an official FIA press conference in Singapore, resulting in a short-lived boycott of answering questions in post-session events.

The FIA outlined after the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that Verstappen’s community service will entail travelling to the FIA Prize Giving Gala in Rwanda.

There, the four-time F1 champion will work with junior competitors to boost the motorsport grassroots development in Rwanda.

Speaking to RwandaTV, Ben Sulayem revealed details of how he informed Verstappen of his duties.

“It’s a funny story – we said we need clean verbal language all the time,” Ben Sulayem said. 

“Of course, [he’s very young] he said one word and then they penalised him with community service.

“So I met him in Qatar and I said, ‘Max, don’t worry. What you are going to do is you are going to encourage and inspire young girls and boys who want to go into motorsport’.

Ben Sulayem declared the Dutchman was thrilled when he learned about what his obligations entailed.

“He was so happy,” he said. “I was a champion in my area in the Middle East for 20 years, but the people who made me are also the fans. 

“And the fans don’t come from far away, it’s [not] only by the Internet and by social media. The fan is when you live [with] them, when you sit with them, when you feel them.

“So it is a big part of the duty that a champion, an ambassador has to give back to society. And what is better, when we talk about diversity, than him being here?

“He was so happy, so pleased. He was so happy that when he is here, he will sit with the upcoming kids, girls and boys to inspire them.”