Last year, F1 drivers Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were punished for swearing at FIA press conferences.
F1 drivers can be banned from competition or lose points for swearing or political statements according to the new rules of the International Automobile Federation FIA, reports news agency AP.
In cases where political, religious or personal incidents are found, the rules of the FIA, which governs motor sports, stipulate that the jury also demands a “public apology” from the offender.
With its decisions made now, the FIA aims to increase the transparency and consistency of decision-making and to make it easier for the jury to make decisions.
For example, Formula 1 drivers are threatened with a competition ban if they repeatedly criticize the FIA’s activities. The penalties also apply to F1 team managers.
The punishment is fines and possibly bans from competition. The basic fine is 10,000 euros, but the penalties for F1 drivers start at 40,000 euros.
The fine is doubled for the second violation and includes a one-month conditional ban. In practice, it means that if the driver commits the same offense in future races, the result will automatically be a one-race ban.
A third violation within two years brings with it a proposed fine of 120,000 euros for the F1 driver, a one-month ban and loss of World Championship points.
BBC: Rules to weed out criticism
The rule changes may deepen the rift between the drivers and the FIA.
Several sources have reported for the BBCthat “many” parties in the FIA objected to the now made rule violation.
According to the BBC’s interpretation, the changes are the latest move by the FIA for the umbrella organization to try to suppress its leadership to Mohammed bin Sulayem criticism.
The FIA’s new rules come into force less than two months after the F1 driver of the Mercedes team George Russell said publicly that he and his colleagues were “a bit fed up” with the FIA’s leadership.
The International Automobile Association justifies the new penalty clauses also by the fact that, for example, the professional American football league NFL and the International Football Confederation Fifa already have similar rules and fine practices, which aim to protect the brand of sports.