Verstappen questions FIA swearing rules revamp: 'That's the championship over'

Max Verstappen has questioned the FIA's decision to hand out seemingly draconian punishments in its bid to curb swearing.

The four-time F1 champion sparked the furore in using the f-word in an official FIA press conference ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.

The irony is Verstappen did so on a day when FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem had expressed his displeasure at the use of profanity, and wanted to see a clampdown.

Over the winter, the FIA has fast-tracked an update to its regulations on swearing and any derogatory comments made against the FIA.

F1 drivers will be handed a €40,000 fine for using profanity. Repeat episodes could result in race bans and the deduction of championship points. A driver will be handed a two-race ban for swearing three times over two years.

After initially stating he did not want to speak about the latest regulations as he would "get in trouble", pressed on the issue by RacingNews365 ahead of the F175 Live event at the O2, Verstappen said: "It's a lot of money.

"Honestly, from my side, it's not necessary to be like that with the rules. You need to use a bit of common sense.

"Besides that, I prefer we focus on other topics to try and improve safety, try and improve the overall performance of Formula 1 cars, instead of having to focus on all these kinds of things. It's a bit unnecessary."

Suggested to Verstappen that a championship would potentially be over for a driver if he was banned for two races, the Red Bull driver said: "It is, yeah. That's why I think it's a bit much."

Verstappen, though, made clear he has not spoken with Ben Sulayem about the situation, declaring it to be "a complicated matter".

As to whether he would converse if Ben Sulayem reached out to him, he added: "I always share my opinion.

"Like I say now, it's just a bit much. It was not necessary to put it like that, like fully written down."