Fresh protest launched against FIA over controversial swearing ban

World Rally Championship drivers are limiting their end-of-stage public comments at Rally Kenya, in response to the FIA's swearing clampdown, after one driver was fined in Rally Sweden. 

The governing body is trying to eliminate swearing from drivers across all series under its remit during 'public occasions' such as media interviews or press conferences, whilst swearing in competition is not subject to the ban, launched by president Mohammed Ben Sulayem ahead of last season's Singapore Grand Prix.

There, F1 world champion Max Verstappen was handed public service as a penalty for swearing in the pre-race press conference, with the FIA amending the international sporting code over the winter to reflect the tougher line being taken. 

In Rally Sweden, Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux was handed a €10,000 fine, with a €20,000 one suspended for swearing during the end of the rally, having been deemed to have breach Article 12.2.1.l of the 2025 ISC for saying he and the team had "fu**ed up" on a stage during the rally. 

As a result, during Rally Kenya, the field have taken to either remaining silent or answering questions at the end of the shakedown in their mother language, with the protest expected to last until the end of the rally, as per Motorsport.com. 

Since Fourmaux's fine, the drivers have launched World Rally Drivers Alliance (WoRDA), akin to F1's Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA), which released a statement.

"We all agree to keep rudeness at the microphone to a minimum, and at the same time, it is necessary to maintain a certain freedom of expression and to keep emotions alive while drivers don't need to be afraid of getting punished in any way," it read.

"We have asked the president of the FIA for some positive changes in the rules to help us achieve this goal."

The statement added that the decision to remain silent or answer questions in the mother tongue was a "responsible" course of action to take.