Verstappen: FIA political statement ban 'not necessary'

Max Verstappen has questioned the recent ban by the FIA on drivers being able to making political statements in Formula 1.

In December the governing body made updates to the International Sporting Code, which effectively stops them from displaying statements that are "political, religious and personal" without the approval of the FIA.

One of the most outspoken drivers, Sebastian Vettel, said that he hopes drivers "show courage" to stand up for their opinions and express them.

Valtteri Bottas has already voiced his concerns about the ban, saying that he does not understand why the FIA "wants to control us" and that drivers should have the "right to talk about what we want."

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has defended the attempts from the FIA to "find the right balance," while Mercedes' Toto Wolff feels there needs to be "alignment" between the FIA and drivers.

Verstappen: I don't think ban is necessary

Two-time World Champion Verstappen believes that the ban is "not necessary" but cautions that it is important to get "all the facts right" before making such statements on the world stage.

"Everyone's different. Some people are more outspoken than others," he said in an interview with Sky Sports.

"I'm normally not that outspoken of that because first of all its tough as a racing driver to be fully committed to that in terms of going into everything and making sure that you know all the facts.

"But I don't think it is necessary, because you're basically making sure that people aren't allowed to speak anymore, which I think we should be allowed.

"Some people will speak a bit more, some not. But it [the ban] was probably a bit unnecessary."