Formula 1 drivers are hitting back at the FIA president’s efforts to tone down their foul-mouthed language.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the controversial president of the Paris-based federation, is asking drivers to refrain from swearing and urging F1 officials to limit the way expletives are featured in TV coverage.
"We have to differentiate between motorsport and rap music," the FIA president said. "We’re not rappers, you know. They say the F-word how many times per minute?"
As Ben Sulayem’s comments circulated, triple world champion Max Verstappen appeared to immediately and provocatively challenge the new order when discussing his Baku GP in the FIA press conference on Thursday.
"As soon as I went into qualifying, I knew the car was f**ked," the Dutchman declared.
FIA interviewer Tom Clarkson intervened, telling the Red Bull driver: "Let’s watch our language going forward."
When asked about his provocative reaction to the anti-swearing clampdown, Verstappen suggested F1 drivers are being unfairly targeted because of the way their on-board radio calls are broadcast to the world.
"I think a lot of people say a lot of bad things when they are full of adrenaline in other sports, it just doesn’t get picked up," he said. "Where here, probably also for entertainment purposes, things get sent out and that’s where people can pick up on it, discuss it on social media and you get all sorts of trouble.
"So I think it already just starts with not broadcasting it."
Another serial swearing offender is the Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda, who has toned down his language since debuting in F1 amid similar controversies.
"Yeah, I mean it’s just like F-words or whatever," he insisted. "It’s just part of the world that you express your feelings. So I don’t see why there’s an issue.
"I’m sure even FIA people swear sometimes," Tsunoda added.
Charles Leclerc is less likely than others to turn the airwaves blue, but he thinks Ben Sulayem and the FIA should have bigger priorities than swearing.
"We are adults and we are probably the only sport where you can hear the athletes during the race," said the Ferrari driver. "I would throw the ball back to the FIA and ask them not to broadcast everything. That would be quite easy to do.
"It is very difficult for us to control our choice of words when we are driving at more than 300 kph on street circuits between the walls and guardrails. After all, we are human too, but as I said, I don’t think this is a priority for us at the moment."
As for seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton, he chastised Ben Sulayem, a 62-year-old from the United Arab Emirates, for his own politically-incorrect faux pas.
"Saying ’rappers’ is very stereotypical and if you think about it, most rappers are black," said the Mercedes driver. "So he really pointed it towards ’we’re not like them’."
However, Hamilton agreed with the FIA president that F1 drivers do have a responsibility.
"You forget that there are kids that are listening," he said, "so I agree in that sense."