Formula 1 drivers are openly challenging the FIA president's attempt to curb their use of foul language.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the contentious president of the Paris-based motorsport federation, is asking drivers to watch their language and has urged F1 officials to minimise the use of expletives in televised coverage.
"We have to differentiate between motorsport and rap music," Ben Sulayem remarked. "We're not rappers, you know. They say the F-word how many times per minute?"
As his comments spread, three-time world champion Max Verstappen seemed to immediately and deliberately defy the new directive during the FIA press conference on Thursday when discussing his Baku GP experience.
"As soon as I went into qualifying, I knew the car was fked,"** the Dutch driver said bluntly.
FIA interviewer Tom Clarkson quickly stepped in to remind Verstappen, "Let's watch our language going forward."
When questioned about his response to the anti-swearing rule, Verstappen argued that F1 drivers were being singled out because their on-board radio communications are broadcast publicly.
"I think a lot of people say a lot of bad things when they are full of adrenaline in other sports, it just doesn't get picked up," Verstappen said. "Here, probably for entertainment purposes, things get aired, and that's when people pick up on it, talk about it on social media, and it causes all kinds of issues."
"So I think it starts with not broadcasting it," he added.
Another driver who has found himself in hot water over language in the past is Yuki Tsunoda, though the Japanese driver has toned down his outbursts since joining F1.
"Yeah, I mean it's just like F-words or whatever," he said. "It's just part of expressing your feelings, so I don't see what the issue is.
"I'm sure even FIA people swear sometimes," Tsunoda quipped.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who is generally less known for swearing, also thinks Ben Sulayem and the FIA should focus on more important matters than policing drivers' language.
"We are adults, and we're probably the only sport where you can hear the athletes during the race," said the Monegasque driver.
"I'd throw the ball back to the FIA and say don't broadcast everything. That would be quite simple.
"It's really hard to control what we say when driving at over 300 kph on street circuits with walls and guardrails. After all, we are human too, but as I said, I don't think this is a priority for us at the moment."
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton went a step further, criticising Ben Sulayem, a 62-year-old from the UAE, for making an outdated comment.
"Saying 'rappers' is very stereotypical and, if you think about it, most rappers are black," Hamilton noted. "So he really made it sound like, 'we're not like them.'"
That said, Hamilton did agree with the FIA president's point that F1 drivers do have some responsibility.
"You forget that there are kids that are listening," he acknowledged. "So I agree with him in that sense."
