F1: Why Verstappen's Silent Protest Was the Perfect Response to a Weak FIA President

But on Saturday in Singapore, the Dutchman showed why he's fast becoming one of the sport's greats by standing up for himself after being harshly disciplined for swearing at a FIA press conference.

His behaviour inadvertently gained respect from his usual detractors but also exposed a significant lack of support for FIA Mohammed Ben Sulayem or his anti-swearing policy.

So, how did Verstappen's walkout help grow his standing amongst F1's greats, and what does it say about the current leader of the FIA?

How did we get to this stage?

Before Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix, FIA president Ben Sulayem expressed in an exclusive interview with Autosport a desire to curb the drivers' use of profanities on the team radio. The Emirati also called upon Formula One Management who producee the live feed for television channels, to limit the broadcast of vulgar language on the live feed.

Verstappen was the first driver to get in trouble for a momentary slip of the tongue. After saying the f-word during Thursday's press conference when describing the balance of his Red Bull RB20 during qualifying for last Sunday's Azerbaijan GP. His punishment was to complete some work of public interest.

The penalty sparked instant outrage, none more so than among Verstappen's fellow drivers. Grand Prix Drivers Association [GPDA] chairman Alex Wurz revealed on Austrian TV channel ORF that the drivers were extremely angry over the penalty in the GPDA's WhatsApp group.

Despite his ludicrous penalty, Verstappen bounced back the only way he knew how. After losing his first lap due to red flags, his last run was good enough for second on the grid alongside championship rival Lando Norris.

But the drama wasn't over yet. In the post-qualifying press conference, Verstappen answered Master of Ceremonies Tom Clarkson with a slew of one-worded answers to protest the decision.

Once allowed to leave the room, Verstappen organised a bizarre media scrum in the Marina Bay and ock, where he explained the lack of detail in his answers during the presser.

"I find it, of course, ridiculous what happened, so why should I give full answers because it's very easy to get a fine or some sort of penalty," said Verstappen to assembled media after Saturday's qualifying session. "So I prefer not to speak a lot, save my voice, and we can do the interviews somewhere else.

"They want to set a precedent, people got warnings or little fines. Now, with me, they want to set an even bigger example, I guess. Which for me is a bit weird, of course because I didn't swear at anyone; I just said one thing about my car.

"I don't want to blame this on the stewards because I had a really good chat with them. They just have to follow the code in the book. I think they are quite understanding, but it's difficult for them as well. I think what I said wasn't that bad. I get if I aim it at someone, then I think that's bad of course, and emotions run high. I can understand that, but I feel it was quite ridiculous what was given to me."

Verstappen could not stop the Norris/McLaren juggernaut on race day but nonetheless finished a fine second, limiting the damage in the title race. After the race, he once again conducted two media sessions where he revealed his disillusionment over the FIA's running of the sport may fast-track his retirement.

Hamilton rallies behind Verstappen

Verstappen's stance against the FIA's latest standards crusade was echoed by former title rival and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who qualified third for Mercedes.

Hamilton has previously battled with the sport's governing body throughout his F1 career. In 2021, after controversially losing the world title to Verstappen, he refused to attend the FIA's prize giving in Paris, receiving a €50,000 fine.

In 2022, the FIA planned to ban drivers from wearing jewellery for safety reasons, but Hamilton, who has several piercings, refused.

Before the 2022 Miami GP, Hamilton arrived at the pre-race press conference wearing three watches and other jewellery pieces.

The saga was later resolved in 2023 when F1 bosses gave Hamilton a medical exemption to race with the piercings.

Although Hamilton and Ben Sulayem agree on the need to tackle swearing, the Brit was unimpressed with the FIA president's language after he compared racing drivers to rappers during the interview.

Hamilton stated Ben Sulayem's comments had a racial undertone to them before later encouraging Verstappen to ignore the punishment, proclaiming he wouldn't do a similar penalty.

"Yeah, I think it's a bit of a joke, to be honest," added Hamilton. "This is the pinnacle of the sport. Mistakes are made.

"I certainly won't be doing it, and I hope Max doesn't do it."

Norris also sided with Verstappen but offered a more humorous answer to a tense press conference.

"He deserved it, foul language," joked Norris. "I think it's pretty unfair. I don't agree with any of it."

Verstappen showed why weak Ben Sulayem has no respect

Since being elected in December 2021, Ben Sulayem has done everything possible to alienate people. Verstappen's walkout indicates how he commands little authority or respect from F1's big players, and rather than diffuse the situation, most of the time, he gaslights them.

The penalty was ludicrous when it was first announced, as the f-word wasn't said as a parting shot to any individual but more to describe how he felt behind the wheel. Verstappen gained further support for his case by conducting two verbal protests, showing his fellow drivers how it's done. One doubts he'll ever take his idiotic penalty, nor will his fellow drivers if they get a similar sanction.

Most high-profile drivers have publicly backed the reigning world champion, meaning a future revolt is likely if more bizarre penalties are handed out.

A rethink is urgently needed. There is no rhyme or reason to restrict what drivers say on the team radio; after all, they will hardly sound like Hemingway when in the heat of battle.

And they shouldn't be minding their language either. F1 is one of the few sports other than rugby where a microphone records every word, so it's normal for a few swear words to be said when adrenaline is high.

Censoring profanities isn't a good solution, either. There is a reason why FOM introduced an 'F1 kids' broadcast, created to cater to a family-friendly audience who don't necessarily want to hear profanities coming out of the drivers' mouths.

Using a racial stereotype to make a point about drivers' language shows that Ben Sulayem has little respect for the sport's image or the people working inside it.

The last FIA president who was drunk with power, Frenchman Jean Marie Balestre, went to war with Ayrton Senna for nearly two years after the Brazilian's controversial collision with Alain Prost at the 1989 Japanese GP. Balestre lost that battle, and Ben Sulayem will lose his.

If Ben Sulayem can't handle the fact that drivers have emotions, there is a simple solution to his problem. Watch something else and let the gladiators who entertain fans say whatever the f*** they want.