The FIA could increase censorship of Formula 1 drivers’ radio communications over swearing, president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has indicated.
Ben Sulayem began taking a tough line on drivers’ use of profane expressions last year. Charles Leclerc was fined and Max Verstappen was ordered to perform “public work” at an FIA event in Rwanda for swearing in official FIA press conferences.
The FIA president has indicated the sport’s governing body may go further in its efforts to proscribe drivers’ swearing.
“Do we go on and then shut down the radios of live communication? Maybe,” he said at the FIA officials summit at the Jarama circuit in Spain. “Do we delay it? Maybe.
“There’s a lot of things that would work now with our promoter. FOM are the promoter, the FIA, we are still the owners of the championship.”
Radio messages played on the world television feed are already censored to mask any swearing. The same censorship is not applied to the live onboard feeds from the drivers’ cars on F1 TV, but these messages are delayed so that FOM can choose not to broadcast some. The broadcaster tends to omit messages immediately after a car has crashed or when a driver sounds especially agitated.
The frequency of some drivers’ swearing was highlighted after last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix when Verstappen swore on his radio on at least seven occasions, six of which were broadcast on the world feed, with the profanity ‘bleeped’.
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Drivers have been penalised for some remarks on their radios. Last year Yuki Tsunoda was fined €40,000 (£33,900), half of which was suspended, for using an ableist slur on his radio during the Austrian Grand Prix. Sergio Perez was given a formal warning at the 2023 season finale for saying “the stewards are a joke.”
The FIA revised its rules on “misconduct” ahead of the new season, specifying fines and bans for drivers who break its rules, potentially including the use of profanity.
Ben Sulayem addressed the furore over Verstappen’s penalty last year, claiming the driver enjoyed his work on the FIA’s Affordable Cross Car project in Rwanda.
“When he sat down – and he was nervous – I said, how about injecting back in the society, going and inspiring young girls and boys in Rwanda? [He said] oh please, I will do that.
“He was there, he was happy, he went there, hugged them, and it was a big plus for them. To see Max Verstappen coming to these people in Africa and then inspiring them, giving them the good words. They were so happy.”
The FIA president claimed some reports exaggerated the penalty they planned for Verstappen. “I remember, when the community service was given to Max Verstappen, what did some of the journalists say? They said, the president is going to have him cleaning the toilets.”
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Last year F1 drivers issued an open letter criticising Ben Sulayem over his stance on swearing and other issues. He insisted he has a positive relationship with them.
“Most of the drivers that speak to me, they have my phone, I am the most accessible president ever,” he said. “You will see they speak to me, they are very happy.
“But of course, when I was a driver I used to complain. And when I don’t win, I will complain more. But I tried to be quiet and then wait for the next race to win. So you see, that’s natural, that’s human.
“How do I treat the drivers? Like my sons and my daughters. Honestly, I treat them with passion, with love. I treat them with understanding. I have been there. I want them to succeed.”
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