F1 drivers face possible ban, points deductions under new FIA misconduct rules ahead of 2025 Formula 1 season | F1 news
The FIA has introduced new guidelines that could see F1 drivers receive points deductions or a possible ban for misconduct, including swearing.
Max Verstappen was ordered to “perform some work of public interest” in late 2024 after he used an expletive during a press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix.
The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) called out FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in November in response to the F1 swearing saga, to which the FIA did not respond at the time.
An updated version of the FIA’s 2025 International Sporting Code was published on Wednesday, which included details of ‘steward penalty guidelines’ in Appendix B.
Breaching the misconduct rules for the first time will result in a €40,000 (£34,000) fine for an F1 driver. A second offense carries a fine of €80,000 (£68,000) and a one-month suspension.
A third offense would be punishable by a fine of €120,000 (£102,000), plus a one-month suspension and forfeiture of championship points.
The same penalties would be imposed for “any words, acts or writings which caused moral injury or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members or its executive officers, and generally to the interests of motor sport and the values defended by the FIA” and “any public incitement to violence or hatred”.
If the driver is found to have violated “the general giving and display of political, religious and personal statements or comments, in particular a violation of the general principle of neutrality promoted by the FIA according to its Statutes, unless previously approved in writing by the FIA for international competitions, or by of the relevant ASN for national competitions under their jurisdiction”, would be fined and should also publicly apologize and retract their comments.
What about the most extreme punishment?
It is also possible for an F1 driver to receive a ban if they are deemed to have “failed to comply with the FIA’s instructions regarding the appointment and participation of persons during official ceremonies at any competition which counts towards the FIA Championship”.
One offense would carry a €60,000 (£50,000) fine, while a second offense would result in a €120,000 (£101,000) fine and “suspension of access to reserved event area(s) for the next event” – effectively meaning a ban from racing.
Another breach of the ceremony’s instructions would mean a fine of €180,000 (£152,000) and a six-month suspension from racing.
What happened last year between Verstappen, Ben Sulayem and the FIA?
The issue of swearing was thrust into the limelight after Ben Sulayem said in an interview published ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix last September that he wanted to see less foul language, played from radio broadcasts broadcast on the world’s F1 TV site.
He said F1 should “make a distinction between our sport – motorsport – and rap music” which Lewis Hamilton thought was “stereotypical” language with a “racial element”.
While Ben Sulayem, who became FIA president at the end of 2021 for a four-year term, said he had made the request to Formula 1 itself, the sport’s commercial rights holder, he also argued that the drivers themselves had a responsibility to take care of their language.
Later on the same day as the interview was published, Verstappen was given the F1 equivalent of community service for swearing during a press conference when describing the performance of his Red Bull car, resulting in him refusing to give full answers in official media appearances that followed during the rest of the Singaporean weekend.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was then fined €10,000 (£8,420) for swearing at a post-race press conference at the Mexico City Grand Prix in October. Although the stewards took into account the fact that Leclerc immediately apologized and appeared contrite, the infringement penalty was still levied.
The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, to which all 20 F1 drivers belong, issued a statement in November that touched on several points, including swearing, and said “there is a difference between swearing to offend others and more casual swearing, such as you can use to describe bad weather or an inanimate object such as an F1 car or a driving situation”.
The statement also raised concerns about fines and what is done with money from financial penalties.
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