Last Updated on September 22 2024, 8:43 am
The Formula One Singapore Grand of 2024 has been dominated with a row over swearing. As he did with the existing rule banning drivers’ wearing jewellery, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has resurrected a long forgotten sporting article which the stewards haver not enforced for years.
When asked about the new direction to the stewards during the FIA official press conference on Thursday, Max Verstappen was dismissive asking, ” but come on, like, 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… When they grow up, they will walk around with their friends and they will be swearing, so this is not changing anything.”
The world champion then dropped the F-bomb, almost to prove it will be difficult to the FIA to police this. He described his car in Baku as “f***ked” which the stewards then reviewed an issued Verstappen with a one day community service order. Red Bull’s star driver then retaliated to the stewards sanction by refusing to answer questions in the FIA press conference for the top three drivers in qualifying.
Verstappen first to be sanctioned for swearing
The stewards statement read that the world champion had used language “which is generally considered ‘coarse, rude’ or may ‘cause offence’ and is not considered suitable for broadcast.”
“The stewards noted that the language was not directed at anyone or any group… the driver explained that the word used is ordinary in speech as he learned it, English not being his native language,” continued the verdict.
“While the stewards accept that this may be true, it is important for role models to learn to be mindful when speaking in public forums, in particular when not under any particular pressure.”
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F1 stewards decision loosens the swearing criteria
This ruling in fact dilutes the mandate from the FIA president given the stewards have accepted when a driver is “under any particular pressure” he may in fact utter expletives and use the ‘pressure’ as his defence.
The new FIA focus on ‘bad language’ appears to have everyone running to cover their behinds as Sky F1 get themselves in a pickle. Veteran Sky Sports pit lane reported, Ted Kravitz, cause a stir today when he uttered an intentional expletive during a broadcast from the Marina Bay Circuit.
During a pit lane presentation piece, Kravitz tripped over his words with the result that gobble-de-gook came out. He forgot the piece was live and was ready to do a retake. Kravitz was discussing the design of the Ferrari cars when words failed him and prior to starting again he muttered “Oh, f***ing hell.”
This expletive was in fact not for a video insert but a live segment broadcast for all to hear. Yet instead of continuing with the piece, Sky quickly cut to their anchor presenter and Simon Lazenby was swift to self sanction the mishap.
Kravitz utters the F-workd
He then threw back to Kravitz as though he was a naughty school boy who required to be admonished. Ted issued his own apology and explanation beginning: “Big apologies from my side.
“Just to let you know, we’re live now – when the cars come out for the presentation, which I recorded earlier, I seek perfection but sometimes I don’t get it.”
“If I mess up a first take and them I’m frustrated with myself, sometimes a naughty word comes out. Obviously, that was never meant to be played – that’s our mistake and we’re owning that. I apologise that that take, which was not meant to be played, got played out. “This happens in television sometimes, so apologies for that. We’ll seek to do better next time.”
Kravitz has never made this kind of mistake previously and its ironic this occurred after the FIA made a big deal this week over swearing. The Sky presenter has a mischievous style as he delivers his post track session monologues and has previously been known to deliberately push things beyond the line.
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He upset Christian Horner and Red Bull in Austin two years ago. He did a piece to camera which persistently described Lewis Hamilton’s failed eight title challenge as something from which he was “robbed.” Red Bull had previously complained about this perception claiming it diminished Max Verstappen’s success and suggested it was Red Bull who had acted in some improper fashion.
Yet knowingly Kravitz gave his opinion on the matter again in Texas, using the word “robbed”, which promptly saw Red Bull ban all their employees from talking to the broadcaster at the subsequent Mexican Grand Prix weekend.
The problem for the FIA is that they can’t impose sporting penalties on drivers and teams for using bad language. And the fines issued are pocket money to whom they are awarded. They FIA CAN instruct Liberty Media’s holding company, FOM, to not broadcast the banned lexicon at all.
This will then upset the commercial rights holder of F1 who believe the team radio messages add vital excitement to proceedings. An so another war of words between the two parties which appeared to have finally settled down.
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Ben Sulaymen issues liberty Media threat
Whilst TJ13 accepts that the language used by those representing F1 should not be abusive to others or racist, but there comes a line where freedom of speech is being eroded. If an F1 driver is under extreme pressure during a race, his responses may be instinctive and should then not be sanctioned.
“I know, I was a driver. In the heat of the moment, when you think you are upset because another driver came to you and pushed you…,” Ben Sulayem argues. “When I used to drive in the dust [and something like that happened], I would get upset. But also, we have to be careful with our conduct. We need to be responsible people.”
He goers on to suggest that technology embedded in Formula One allows everything to be scrutinised. “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 [broadcast] publicly?”
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Offence is vastly over-rated
The veiled threat is aimed at Liberty Media who are in total control of what is heard by the F1 TV audience. Its difficult in a world where peoples values are so different to ensure that everywhere F1 is aired, somebody isn’t offended.
Some may say they are offended by hearing the word “f**k” yet they support yet their religion and state oppressing women and mutilating petty criminals. It’s easy to be offended and even easier to offend with something that in your culture is acceptable.
We can’t all adjust our cultural norms for those who are offended. Offence after all, is in the eye of the offended.
FIA fail to uphold their own rules while fiddling as Rome burns
The role of the FIA in Formula One is simple. They in association with the teams agree the technical and sporting regulations and then enforce them. Yet the policeman of F1 has failed in its duty whilst issuing silly orders over driver swearing over team radio, when the broadcast is already censored.
Broadcasting the team’s radio adds to the drama of an F1 race and Formula One have over the years increased the amount of conversation between the drivers and the teams that the Tv audience get to hear.
Each of the cars now can be watched from inside their cockpits alongside the main TV broadcast feed and their messages to and from the team are broadcast there too… READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
Please encourage Verstappen to go. He is ignorant just like his father.