Max Verstappen hints FIA's strict sporting guidelines behind his muted demeanor in front of the media
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen hinted that the FIA's strict sporting guidelines were one of the reasons behind his muted response towards questions regarding his five-second penalty in the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Dutch driver started the race in Jeddah from pole position, which was his second of the season after Japan, but had a poor getaway from his grid box.
The four-time F1 world champion found himself wheel-to-wheel against McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, who started behind him, going into Turn 1. However, he had to cut the chicane after he believed that he was not left enough room by the Aussie and retained his position off the track.
The 27-year-old was given a five-second penalty by the stewards for his discretion, which ultimately cost him another race win in Saudi Arabia as he finished 2.8s behind Piastri. Max Verstappen gave short and unrelated responses to the media when he was asked about the penalty.
In the post-race press conference, Verstappen was pressed by one of the journalists on his muted responses, to which he replied, via Formula1.com:
"I know I cannot swear in here, but at the same time, you also can’t be critical in any form that might ‘harm’ or ‘danger’... Let me get the sheet out. There’s a lot of lines, you know? So that’s why it’s better not to talk about it – you can put yourself in trouble, and I don’t think anyone wants that."
Max Verstappen's comment was at the FIA, which, ahead of the 2025 season, made changes to the sporting guidelines that prohibited drivers from swearing or criticizing the governing body, which could end up with them facing financial and sporting penalties.
Max Verstappen comments on his muted responses since last year
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen stated that he believed that his responses got twisted on social media, which ended up getting him in hot water after his swearing row in Singapore last year.
Speaking to the media, the 64-time F1 race winner said:
"Like I said before, it’s just the world we live in. You can’t share your opinion because it’s not appreciated, apparently, or people can’t handle the full truth. Honestly, it’s better if I don’t say too much. It also saves my time because we already have to do so much.
"It’s honestly just how everything is becoming. Everyone is super sensitive about everything. And what we have currently, we cannot be critical anyway. So less talking – even better for me," Verstappen added.
Max Verstappen is known for his straightforward approach to racing on and off the track and does not mince his words while expressing his opinion on topics related to the sport.