Charles Leclerc has told the FIA it should focus on “other priorities” after the F1 Singapore Grand Prix ‘Sweargate’ controversy.
FIA president Mohammed bin Sulayem wants to reduce foul language used by F1 drivers. FOM wants to reduce the use of prohibited words in conversations between drivers. F1 champion Max Verstappen has been ordered to perform community service by stewards after he uttered the “F-word” at an official FIA press conference on Thursday.
A few hours earlier, Verstappen made his position clear. He refused to answer questions at the FIA’s post-qualifying press conference, instead holding an impromptu discussion in the paddock. In a separate briefing after the race, he hinted that the row could hasten his retirement from F1.
Lewis Hamilton described the penalty as a “joke” and urged Verstappen to boycott, but the seven-time champion agreed with Bin Sulayem’s calls for less foul language.
However, Hamilton said there was a “racial element” to Bin Sulayem’s comparison of drivers to rappers. Leclerc, his future Ferrari teammate, agrees with the call in theory, but feels the FIA should focus on other issues.
“I think there are other priorities for the FIA to focus on at the moment,” Leclerc told media outlets including RacingNews365.
“At the end of the day, we are adults and this is one of the only sports where you can listen to the drivers during the actual race.”
“If I were to pay back the FIA, I would ask them to remove some of our bad language and not broadcast it as much. That would be easy to do.
“It’s quite difficult for us to watch our words when we’re driving between walls at 300km/h on a public road course.”
“At the end of the day, we’re human beings, so I don’t think it’s that much of a priority right now.”
*swear…to curse, to swear
Category: F1 / charles leclerc / scuderia ferrari / FIA (International Automobile Federation)
