Verstappen bemused by Ben Sulayem’s swearing complaints · RaceFans

Max Verstappen has urged Formula 1 to be more selective about the team radio clips they play if they have concerns over drivers swearing.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem recently indicated his disapproval of the frequent swearing heard over team radio during F1 broadcasts.

“We have to differentiate between our sport – motorsport – and rap music,” Ben Sulayem told Motorsport. “We’re not rappers. They say the ‘f’ word how many times per minute? We are not on that. That’s them and we are [us].”

Ben Sulayem also indicated that the FIA may consider stepping in to reduce the level of team radio clips made available.

“We are the ones who actually approved more [radio] talk [on the TV broadcast],” he said. “But we have rules, and the rules are there for the benefit of the sport and the rules are there to be policed and to be respected also.”

Asked about Ben Sulayem’s comments, Verstappen said racing drivers are unique compared to other sportspeople who often do not have microphones picking up everything they say during competition.

“I think you will swear anyway,” Verstappen said in today’s FIA press conference. “If it’s not in this room, maybe somewhere else. Everyone swears. Some people a bit more than others.

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“It also depends a bit what language you speak. Of course, abuse is something else. I think a lot of things get broadcast nowadays where in other sports you don’t run around with a mic attached to you.

“A lot of people say a lot of bad things when they are full of adrenaline in other sports, it just doesn’t get picked up. Where here, probably also for entertainment purposes, things get sent out and that’s where people can pick up on it, discuss it on social media and you get all sorts of trouble.”

The world champion believes the solution is for FOM to select fewer messages containing swearing for broadcast. “It just starts with not broadcasting it,” he said. “If you don’t broadcast it, no one will know. Only the team, but with that you deal internally with these kind of things.

“It’s just probably a bit the world that we live in, within the sport but also in general, it seems like people are a bit more sensitive to stuff. That’s how it goes. I guess the world is changing a bit. But I think it already just starts with not broadcasting it or not giving the option for people to hear it in general.”

Since 2018 F1 has offered viewers in some countries the abilities to watch feeds of every driver’s onboard camera view plus their radio messages. Since last year, these have also been censored. Verstappen, who was admonished during today’s FIA press conference for swearing, believes this should be taken further.

“There are a lot of apps where people can listen to radios and stuff. You have to probably limit it or have a bit of a delay that you can censor out a few things.

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“That will help a lot more than putting bans on drivers because for example I couldn’t even say the ‘f’-word [during the press conference]. It’s not even that bad, right? I mean ‘the car was not working, the car is ‘effed’.

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“And then, excuse me for the language but come on, what are we? Five-year-olds, six-year-olds? 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.”

RB driver Yuki Tsunoda, who gained notoriety for his angry outbursts over team radio in his early seasons in the sport, was fined by Austrian Grand Prix stewards after being heard using an ableist slur over the radio in qualifying. Tsunoda apologised to the stewards as well as publicly for his choice of words, admitting he was unaware of the sensitivities over the term in the English language.

Tsunoda agrees with Verstappen that the concern over drivers swearing with frustration in the car is generally overblown.

“Obviously, there’s certain words that will go above the limit,” Tsunoda said. “It happened to me this year.

“If it’s just like ‘f’-words or whatever, it’s just part of the world that you express the feeling. So I don’t see why there’s an issue. I’m sure even FIA people swear sometimes.”

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