Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has advised Red Bull driver Max Verstappen to follow his guidance and disregard the FIA regarding his contentious punishment.
A new poll suggests that Max Verstappen should heed Lewis Hamilton’s advice and decline to serve the penalty imposed by the FIA.
After taking a swearing in during a press conference, the three-time world champion—who turned 27 today—was ordered to do “work of public interest.” This decision has drawn criticism from the entire Formula 1 community.
It follows after FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem declared, “We’re not rappers, you know,” that he wished to clamp down on foul language in advance of the Singapore Grand Prix. How many times a minute do they say the F-word? That is not where we are at. We are [us], and that’s them.”
Verstappen described his car as “f****d” shortly afterward during the Drivers’ press conference, which is televised live. Later, after using the X-rated word, he was called before the stewards to find out his fate.
However, more than 2,500 Express readers hurried to vote when asked if Verstappen should decline to perform the “community service” mandated by the FIA, demonstrating the strong support that the Red Bull star is receiving.
Overall, 61% of respondents thought Verstappen should decline to perform his forced FIA duties, and 39% thought the Dutchman should accept his punishment.
In a broader context, 54% of Formula One supporters responded negatively when asked if drivers ought to face consequences for using foul language during press conferences and on the team radio. Just 17% of respondents thought that both areas should be subject to the FIA’s stringent rules.
Nonetheless, a little more than a quarter of supporters—28%—thought the penalty ought to be limited to press conferences alone, permitting swearing on the team radio.
Verstappen has garnered backing from his fellow Formula One drivers, particularly Lewis Hamilton, who has previously expressed his disapproval of the FIA’s strict stance on driver conduct.
The 39-year-old Mercedes star further declared he would not serve his sentence and urged Verstappen to think about adopting a similar attitude.
Regarding the penalty given, the Mercedes driver admitted, “It is kind of a joke, to be honest.” “Mistakes happen in the highest level of the sport. It’s definitely not something I would do, and I really hope Max doesn’t.”
Jos Verstappen, the father of Verstappen and a former Formula One racer, also criticized the FIA for taking a tough stance against his son.
Verstappen Sr. told Autosport, “That is the most ridiculous thing, in my opinion.” “I don’t believe the FIA is operating at a very high level. However, I won’t talk about this too much.
Alex Wurz, the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association chairman and another former Formula One driver, responded angrily to Verstappen’s penalty. The Austrian sees some hypocrisy in the situation, citing the liberal use of expletives by former Haas boss Guenther Steiner in the well-liked Netflix documentary series “Drive to Survive.”
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