Is the punishment for cursing in F1 too harsh? Racing boss hints at changes after driver backlash

A standoff over cursing in Formula could be one step closer to a method Ahead of this week s Miami Grand Prix the president of Formula s governing body the FIA has signaled he ll make improvements to punishments for swearing and criticism which have sparked a backlash from F drivers FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem posted on Instagram Monday that after constructive feedback from drivers across the various event the FIA governs I am considering making improvements to Appendix B That s the document which lays out the punishments for a range of offenses ranging from physical violence to political statements using foul language and any comments deemed to cause moral injury or loss to FIA The base fine for an F driver is set out at euros Cursing behind the wheel It s not clear that cursing is more common in F than other sports With radio broadcasts from the cars and camera crews throughout the paddock drivers are under more surveillance than almost any other athletes In other sports you don t run around with a mic attached to you Verstappen announced last year 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 Various drivers have also called for a lenient approach to swearing out of frustration over the radio during a race if a non-English speaker uses a word without being sure of its meaning or if drivers use an expletive to describe themselves or their own car not other people Verstappen s suggested it should be a issue for broadcasters not drivers The four-time champion declared last year that TV includes drivers swearing presumably also for entertainment purposes adding I think it already just starts with not broadcasting it Drivers are frustrated Ben Sulayem has been seeking to crack down on cursing since last year and punishments were tightened for to allow for larger fines and suspensions for drivers who swear repeatedly From the start his efforts have attracted disagreement We have to differentiate between our sport motorsport and rap music Ben Sulayem disclosed when he informed his plans last year in an interview with motorsport com We re not rappers you know Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton who is Black mentioned there was a racial element to Ben Sulayem s comments The crackdown on swearing prompted a backlash from F drivers when Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were punished last year Leclerc was fined and Verstappen was solicited to make amends with neighborhood facility for describing his car with an expletive Drivers in the World Rally Championship boycotted TV interviews last month after one of them was fined It s not just about profanity After the last F race in Saudi Arabia Verstappen refused to talk about a penalty which cost him the lead because he suggested any criticism risked emerging the FIA rules I know that I cannot swear in here but at the same time you can also not be critical he reported How do other sports deal with cursing Approaches differ across sports and generally take the circumstances into account Athletes who curse at a referee or a fan generally get harsher punishments When he was sent off for explicit language while protesting a referee s call in February Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham sparked a debate on where soccer should set the limits of what s acceptable Bellingham didn t do anything that deserved a sending off his coach Carlo Ancelotti reported He explained expletive off not expletive you I don t think that was meant to be offensive Audible obscenity rules in tennis are one example where an athlete could be fined for using an expletive about themselves or their meeting similar to several of the incidents F drivers have been concerned about Golf star Tyrrell Hatton was fined in November for cursing loudly and snapping a club in a frustrating moment on the European tour In the NBA Minnesota Timberwolves star Antony Edwards got a fine in December for profanities in a TV interview The league revealed the fine was larger because of Edwards history of similar incidents He was also fined last week for using inappropriate language and an obscene gesture toward a spectator What could happen next Much will depend on the substance of any changes Ben Sulayem introduces So far it seems he s focusing on how punishments work not changing the rules themselves There has already been one sign of a more flexible approach when Carlos Sainz Jr wasn t fined for using an expletive in a news conference while he protested another fine for being late for a national anthem Ben Sulayem s four years in office have been marked by repeated confrontations with drivers and senior agents A change of lesson on cursing could mean less tension ahead of expected re-election later this year Humans make the rules and humans can improve the rules Ben Sulayem wrote Monday The principle of continuous improvement is something I have invariably inferred in and is at the heart of all we do at the FIA AP auto racing https 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