FIA protest to continue? Max Verstappen quizzed on future press conference approach

Max Verstappen is not ruling out continuing with his protest by only issuing short one-sentence answers in FIA press conferences after his Singapore punishment for swearing.

Just hours after FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem issued a clampdown on bad language, declaring F1 drivers are “not rappers” who “say the F-word how many times per minute”, Verstappen swore during the Thursday press conference at the Marina Bay circuit.

Max Verstappen undecided on continuing FIA protest

The Red Bull driver referred to his RB20 as being “f****d” and was charged with ‘misconduct’ for using a word that was “generally considered ‘coarse, rude’ or may ’cause offence’ and is not considered suitable for broadcast”.

Found guilty of the offence, he was ordered to “accomplish some work of public interest” as his punishment.

The Red Bull driver was riled up by the punishment, which he called “ridiculous” and staged a one-man protest during the post-qualifying press conference by only giving short one-sentence answers.

Instead, he told the media gathered on the Saturday night that he would speak with them outside of the room.

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“I find it, of course, ridiculous what happened,” he explained. “So why should I then give full answers? I prefer then not to speak a lot, save my voice.

“I mean, we can do the interviews also somewhere else, if you need some answers to the questions asked.”

He continued with the protest after the Grand Prix, again only issuing short one-sentence answers. But by doing so he ensured he wouldn’t face any further punishment as he attended, which was obligatory as he’d finished second in the race, and he answered every question, just not thoroughly.

As for whether he continues his protest at the next race, the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Verstappen is undecided.

“I mean, let’s first take a break from it all,” he said. “You know from F1, and go at it again in Austin. See what we are at.”

Asked if he would take a call from Ben Sulayem, he sidestepped that saying: “I will always be myself. I will not because of that change how I am in my life anyway, but also how I’m operating here.”

He also refused to say whether he was even open to speaking with the FIA president.

“I think it’s not only the FIA, also with F1 as a whole, how you operate together,” he replied.

He’s hoping the FIA and Formula 1 back down and that it “doesn’t continue to be like that.”

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