FIA president pulls back the curtain on what he told Max Verstappen after he was given community service as a penalty for swearing
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem recently talked about what he told Max Verstappen after he was penalized with a community service task for swearing. The Emirati explained the nature of the penalty levied on the Red Bull star.
Verstappen was recently penalized by the governing body for using profanity during Thursday's press conference at the 2024 F1 Singapore Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver used the word "f***" to describe the poor state of his car during the conference. The FIA was not happy with this and announced that Verstappen would be punished by having to perform some sort of community service.
The whole F1 paddock and fan base was split by the FIA's decision and the fact that one driver was punished for only cursing about the state of his car.
FIA later revealed that Verstappen would take part in an event in Rwanda consisting of aspiring young racers. While this was revealed a few days before the 2024 FIA Awards Ceremony, Mohammed Ben Sulayem revealed that he personally informed the details to Verstappen.
Speaking to RwandaTV, Sulayem claimed that he had a talk with Max Verstappen in Qatar, where he explained that the community service will massively help young drivers. The FIA president then claimed that after hearing the benefits, the Red Bull star was happy to participate and serve his penalty.
“It’s a funny story – we said we need clean verbal language all the time. And of course, very young, he said one word and then they penalised him with community service," Sulayem said. (via PlanetF1)
“So I met him in Qatar and I said: ‘Max, don’t worry. What you are going to do is you are going to encourage and inspire young girls and boys who want to go into motorsport. And you will do that and that is your community service, when you come and receive your trophy in Rwanda.’ And he was so happy," he added.
FIA president pleased with Max Verstappen serving his penalty through a diversity-promoting community service
In an interview following the 2024 FIA Awards Ceremony, Mohammed Ben Sulayem talked about Max Verstappen keeping his word and attending the grassroots development event in Kigali. Speaking about diversity, Sulayem said that all drivers should take part in this kind of community service project and not just those who received a penalty for swearing.
“He [Verstappen] really fulfilled his promise. He was there, he was with the young girls and boys who built the car. Also, there were girls who were the first time for them in karting, there were about hundreds of them. This is the community service we need every single driver, and champion, to do if we want to grow. If we talk about diversity: this is the real diversity," Ben Sulayem said.
Apart from community service, Max Verstappen also received the F1 world championship trophy for the fourth consecutive time. The Dutchman secured the championship after his win at the 2024 F1 Las Vegas GP.