Formula One drivers have responded to the governing body’s clampdown on swearing by asking FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to treat them like adults and mind his own language.
The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) yesterday released a collective statement on Instagram regarding “driver misconduct”.
Red Bull’s triple world champion Max Verstappen was punished for his language in a press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix in September while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was fined for swearing at last month’s Mexico City Grand Prix.
There have also been controversies in the past over piercings and jewellery, with Mercedes’ seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton caught in a standoff over a nose stud in 2022, and compliance with rules on fireproof undergarments.
The GPDA statement said the drivers were professionals at the pinnacle of their sport, gladiators who put on a show for the fans.