The president of Formula One’s governing body, the FIA, says he is considering changes to the penalty guidelines which include policing misconduct and swearing after receiving “constructive feedback from drivers.”
In January, the FIA updated its International Sporting Code to include an updated appendix for the penalties that stewards should award for various breach including “any misconduct,” with sanctions ranging from fines to race suspensions and points deductions.
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It marked another step by the FIA after it took action against both Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc for swearing in press conferences last year. Its president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, had previously spoken of his desire to clamp down on swearing in the sport, but Verstappen — who was required to complete community service for the FIA as punishment — branded the penalty “ridiculous.”
In a post shared to his Instagram account on Monday, Ben Sulayem indicated there could be an upcoming shift in the stewards’ penalty guidelines, saying he was weighing up “improvements” to that appendix to the ISC.
“Following constructive feedback from drivers across our seven FIA world championships, I am considering making improvements to Appendix B,” Ben Sulayem wrote.
“As a former rally driver, I understand the demands they face better than most.
“Appendix B is a key part of the International Sporting Code and is central in helping keep the sport accessible for all our sporting family.
“Humans make the rules and humans can improve the rules. This principle of continuous improvement is something I have always believed in and is at the heart of all we do at the FIA.”
Reigning world champion Verstappen appeared to reference the penalty guidelines when refusing to give his opinion on the five-second time penalty he received while leading the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix eight days ago. He finished the race in second place after serving the penalty, losing by less than three seconds.
Verstappen said he “might get penalized” for sharing his view, adding: “I know that I cannot swear in here (the news conference). But at the same time, you cannot be critical or any kind of form that might harm or danger, or… let me get the (rule) sheet out, there’s a lot of lines.”
The full stewards guidelines cover penalties for breaches including:
- “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 motor sport and on the values defended by the FIA.”
- “Any misconduct” as defined by the ISC.
- “The general making and display of political, religious and personal statements or comments notably in violation of the general principle of neutrality promoted by the FIA under its Statutes” unless approved.
- “Failure to comply with the instructions of the FIA regarding the appointment and participation of persons during official ceremonies” at races in FIA championships.
The new guidelines were met with uncertainty by the F1 drivers’ union, the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, with clarity only being received on what would or would not be deemed as misconduct while in the cockpit on the eve of the new season in Australia. The weight of the financial penalties, which started at €40,000 for a “misconduct” breach in F1, remained a point of concern. F1 carries the biggest potential fines for breaches of these regulations, multiplying the base level fine by four.
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The updated penalty guidelines are yet to have been enforced in F1 this season. In Bahrain, Carlos Sainz swore in a press conference when discussing a penalty he received at the previous race in Japan, but was not referred to the stewards, meaning he escaped any action.
In the World Rally Championship, drivers boycotted interviews after Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux was fined for swearing in a TV interview in January, marking a first application of the new rules in an FIA championship.
(Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
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