Brundle message to Verstappen: FIA swearing battle is wasted energy

Ex-Formula 1 turned Sky F1 pundit, Brundle suggests Verstappen does not waste energy on the matter. This comes in the wake of FIA-appointed F1 Stewards handing the Red Bull driver a community service penalty for using an expletive during the press conference when asked to describe his car.

The hypocrisy was blatant in a sport accustomed to swearing well beyond the cockpit and during the heat of battle. Off track the likes of Gunter Steiner building a brand on using the F-word and His crass language was never questioned during his spell as Haas F1 Team boss.

Notably, Verstappen's penalty came in the wake of FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem calling out drivers for using expletives on official duty, namely press conferences and post-race interviews in the TV pens after each session of a Grand Prix weekend.

Ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend the FIA chief stirred the pot with his "we're not rappers" remark during an interview. Verstappen's press conference 'penalty' happened shortly after that.

Since headline-hungry Ben Sulayem 'invoked' the F1-No-Rapper-Rule it has turned into something of a one-sided war of words with the first victim, the World Champion firing back on all fronts to show his disdain for the whole affair.

For many, Max included, the swearing saga is an unnecessary, self-indulgent and frivolous distraction by the increasingly unpopular FIA president when F1 2024 is set for an epic run down to the Abu Dhabi finale. With Verstappen, of course, in the thick of things.

Without referring to Ben Sulayem in his Singapore Grand Prix review, Brundle offered the following advice to 26-year-old Verstappen: "I'm not sure why Max is allowing himself to get distracted and dragged into the swearing battle with the FIA.

"It's wasted energy and serves no good purpose for him, but he still largely wouldn't answer questions in the press conference post-race. The drivers are not kids I accept, and we know they'll sometimes swear in an attempt to have radio messages not transmitted, and of course they will also say 'don't broadcast our radio calls if you don't like the language'.

"It may be street language, but they represent themselves, their families, their country, their team, global sponsors, F1 itself, and broadcasters worldwide. They are icons, champions, opinion formers, and they should think about the responsibility which comes with that privilege, especially with so many young fans watching.

"Nobody wants to take any energy, emotion, or freedom of speech out of it, but gratuitous swearing away from the heat of the moment is not necessary," declared Brundle.

After the race in Singapore in which he finished P2, Verstappen has gone on 'strike' during official TV and interview appearances, saying the minimum and letting it be known: “These kind of things definitely decide my future as well.

"When you can’t be yourself or you have to deal with this kind of silly thing. I think now I’m at the stage of my career that you don’t want to be dealing with this all the time. It’s really tiring," lamented Max.