Max Verstappen is unimpressed with the FIA (Image: Getty)
poked fun at the during a Twitch sim-racing stream after the , joking that his Team Redline team-mates would get ‘community service’ if they used swear words during the broadcast.
The three-time world champion found himself in hot water with the FIA in Singapore after using a swear word during Thursday’s press conference. In response, the sport’s governing body ordered him to do “some work of public interest”.
This caused a major stir and produced a debate that dominated the weekend. Verstappen made his feelings very clear, and even staged a protest during the post-qualifying press conference, responding “no comment”, or with short answers when asked questions by the media.
Now, Verstappen has taken the fight online. During a stream to his loyal Twitch followers in the aftermath of last weekend’s race, a team-mate asked the Dutchman: “Are we allowed to swear on the stream today?” The driver rapidly snapped back: “No! You’ll get community service!”
Verstappen wasn’t the only driver who thought that the punishment issued by the FIA was unfair. Rivals and both offered their support during the post-qualifying press conference.
“It is a bit of a joke, to be honest,” Hamilton said when quizzed about Verstappen’s reprimand. “This is the pinnacle of the sport, mistakes are made. I certainly wouldn’t be doing it and I hope Max doesn’t do it.” Norris added: “It is pretty unfair, I don’t agree with any of it.”
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There is tension between Max Verstappen and the FIA (Image: Getty)
Verstappen is not willing to let the debacle go either. The reigning world champion even suggested that if the FIA continued to clamp down on drivers’ language, it could accelerate his decision to retire from F1 and try his hand at other racing series.
“Yeah. I mean, these kinds of things definitely decide my future as well, when you can’t be yourself, or you have to deal with these kinds of silly things,” he explained. “I think now, I’m at the stage of my career that you don’t want to be dealing with this all the time.
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“It’s really tiring, you know? Of course, it’s great to have success and win races, but once you have accomplished all that, winning championships and races, and then you want to just have a good time as well.
“Of course, everyone is pushing to the limit, everyone in this battle, even at the back of the grid. But if you have to deal with all these kind of silly things, for me, that is not a way of continuing in the sport, that’s for sure.”