FIA hold talks with Charles Leclerc after F-bomb slip-up in Mexico

Charles Leclerc received a talking-to and could yet find himself in hot water with the FIA after dropping an F-bomb in the post-race press conference in Mexico.

Last month FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem issued a clampdown on the Formula 1 drivers swearing, saying the drivers had a responsibility to mind their language.

Charles Leclerc swore in a press conference in Mexico

Hours later, reigning World Champion Max Verstappen fell foul of the foul language ban when he used the F-word to describe how his Red Bull RB20 had felt in Baku.

Verstappen was hit with a day of community service and launched an almost silent protest as he gave only brief replies in his subsequent FIA press conferences, instead holding briefings with the media in the paddock.

However, in the weeks since the topic has gone quiet while the FIA have not revealed what Verstappen’s day of community service will entail, if they even go ahead with it.

Leclerc could now find himself joining Verstappen for that day out after he used the F-word in Sunday’s post-race press conference for the Mexican Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver had been running second behind his team-mate Carlos Sainz when he ran wide at the final corner on lap 63 of the 71-lap race. Somehow he managed to save the car and finished the race in third place as Norris was able to nip through.

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Asked about his big save and what he said to himself at the moment, Leclerc told the media including PlanetF1.com : “Oh, I mean, I don’t know which face I did, but it had to be a pretty stressful one when I lost it.

“I knew that I had to do everything perfect, Lando was so quick at that time. I felt like it was a matter of laps, but I was still trying to do everything possible for him to overheat behind me and keep him as long as possible behind me. So, I tried to have the best exit possible.

“I could see that he was very close out of that corner. I lost the rear and then you forget about Lando and you just hope that you are going to take it back.

“I had one oversteer and then when I recovered from that oversteer, I had an oversteer from the other side.”

And then he swore before quickly apologising, saying: “Then I was like, ‘f**k’. Oh, sorry! Oh, no, oh no! I don’t want to join Max!”

His team-mate Carlos Sainz joked: “You have your wallet here?”

Leclerc continued: “Then I was just hoping to bring the car to the finish line and get that third place.”

Shortly after the press conference was completed, Leclerc was seen in conversation with an FIA official.

According to reports, the FIA are still deciding whether to charge Leclerc under Article 12.2.1k of the FIA’s International Sporting Code which states that it is an offence to issue “any words, deeds or writings that have caused moral injury or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members or its executive officers, and more generally on the interest of motorsport and on the values defended by the FIA.”

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