Senior F1 figure speaks out against hypocrisy of Max Verstappen swearing punishment

The head of the F1 drivers union has spoken out against the hypocrisy of Max Verstappen receiving punishment for swearing while Guenther Steiner was lauded for it.

Alex Wurz, chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), also questioned the messaging behind the move and suggested it had been handled the wrong way.

GPDA chief questions Max Verstappen swearing punishment

After saying his car was “f**ked” on Thursday in the press conference, Verstappen has been ordered to do community service as FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem clamps down on drivers swearing.

The move has largely been met with derision from the likes of Lewis Hamilton saying he would refuse to do the punishment while Toto Wolff suggested no one listened to the press conference anyway.

But now Wurz has questioned why Verstappen was punished while former Haas team boss Steiner was praised for it as part of the F1 Netflix series Drive to Survive.

“One of the questions that comes to mind most often is: How many lifetimes would Guenther Steiner have to do community service, and he was glorified with his F-word in Netflix , which is broadcast worldwide,” Wurz told ORF. “So in that respect, you ask yourself, what is really the message, what is behind it? And that is simply too harsh a punishment.”

Wurz also suggested the FIA had “overdone it” and the matter had “not been carried out correctly.”

Verstappen himself revealed how the verdict was met when he shared it in the drivers’ WhatsApp group, saying “practically everyone just laughed about it. As if to say: ‘What the hell is that?’ So yes, it is very, very stupid.”

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Ben Sulayem has not been heard of since the punishment was handed out but has been receiving criticism from all corners.

Hamilton in particular took issue with Ben Sulayem suggesting F1 should not be like “rappers” and the seven-time World Champion said there was a “racial element” to the president’s comments.

“Saying ‘rappers’ is very stereotypical,” Hamilton said. “If you think about it, most rappers are black.

“So when it says: ‘We are not like them’, those are the wrong choice of words. There is a racial element there.”

The matter of broadcasting is another area where the FIA has little jurisdiction as it is controlled by FOM who believe there are strict protection protocols in place to prevent uncensored swear words being aired.

One protocol that was missed at the weekend was on Sky after a pre-recorded segment with pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz was broadcast in which he swore . Kravitz apologised for the incident and said it was a matter of the wrong take being broadcast.

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