F1 to strike a balance over drivers' swearing furore

F1, the drivers and the FIA appear set to strike a balance over the use of profanity following the recent clampdown by the FIA.

The subject became a thorny one last season following Max Verstappen's use of the f-word during an official FIA press conference ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend.

Motorsport's governing body imposed a form of community service on Verstappen, resulting in the four-time F1 champion staging an effective boycott in protest over the remainder of the weekend at Marina Bay Street Circuit.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has since rushed through changes to the international sporting code, allowing stewards at a particular event to impose a heavy financial punishment of €40,000 for a first offence. Repeat offenders face race bans and points deductions.

Those new rules have already been tested in Formula E and the WRC.

In the Jeddah E-Prix, Dan Ticktum launched a profanity-laden rant at race engineer Michael Lee over team radio. It included 10 swear words and immediately went viral on social media.

Ticktum, however, was not punished as the exchange happened "in the context of a radio communication with the team and not during a media interview".

In the WRC, Adrien Fourmaux became the first driver to be punished. He was fined €10,000, with €20,000 suspended on the basis that English is not his first language and his remark was “not intended to be offensive”.

It has resulted in the F1 Commission, held on Tuesday morning of the F175 Live event at the O2, discussing matters to ensure the 20 F1 drivers have clarity on what they can and cannot say.

RacingNews365 understands profanity will be allowed over team radio, providing it is in context with a driver's situation at a given time, and not a string of aimless expletives. Swear words in interviews are banned.

Additionally, it is further understood F1 will invest in its technology to ensure swear words over team radio, and played out as live over a grand prix weekend, are adequately bleeped out.

Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer provided further clarity on the matter ahead of the F175 Live event at the O2.

"Without any spoiler alert, there was a discussion this morning in the F1 Commission," said Bayer.

"Interestingly, we all agree we want to keep those emotions alive. We do already have the beeping from F1, with the delayed broadcast, which probably takes care of a lot of the emotions.

"At the same time,  under the new regulations, you had a case in Formula E just recently which the stewards found was an internal discussion between the driver and his team.

"And we had the other end of the possibilities yesterday, in WRC, in world rallying.

"What it means is F1, as teams, as the FIA, we have to get together. I'm sure the drivers will want to have a clear briefing of what should be said and should not be said.

"Overall, it's going in the right direction, preserving the emotions, not making it too profane at the same time, and making sure that we develop as a sport."