- February 17, 2025
FIA President Doubles Down On Stance Over Sanctions For Swearing In Formula 1, Hints At Team Radio Shut Down – News18
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FIA chief Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s latest ruling is supposedly a step towards controlling driver behaviour during races. He had previously issued several warnings about potential penalties for bad language in the past.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem. (X)
Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile’s (FIA) new guidelines for the 2025 Formula 1 season could see drivers face punishment for inappropriate language over team radio. Formula 1 is not for the faint of heart. The motorsport has consistently witnessed intense action, high emotions and lots of drama. FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem now wants to take one element out of this sport – swearing. He doubled down on his stance during a media event in Madrid, suggesting the FIA may ‘shut down’ F1 broadcasts due to swearing. “Will we then switch off live communication by radio? Perhaps. Are we delaying it? Maybe. We are still the owners of the championship,” he said, as per multiple outlets.
Ben Sulayem’s latest ruling is supposedly a step towards controlling driver behaviour during races. He had previously issued several warnings about potential penalties for bad language in the past. Now, drivers could face a fine of €10,000 for swearing which may rise to €80,000 for repeat offences as per the new rulings. A one-month suspension or loss of championship points may also be applied for ‘moral damage’. Live team radio broadcasts may see delays or censorship to prevent bad language from being aired.
McLaren boss Zak Brown opened up on the controversial regulations in a podcast episode with James Allen. While he acknowledged that drivers should not swear at official press conferences, Brown claimed that emotions would likely take over when the drivers are inside their respective vehicles and the visors are down.
“In a press conference where everything is quite chilled out, there’s no emotion involved, there’s no reason to swear,” he said, as per multiple outlets. “However, when the helmet is on, you’re in the heat of the battle, I would imagine on a football pitch or a baseball field, there’s a lot of stuff that we just don’t hear because they’re not mic’d up,” Brown added.
The FIA’s introduction of stricter regulations for the 2025 Formula 1 season has left many within the sport questioning why they are focused on censoring language. Many claim that the organisation should instead address bigger issues around track limit chaos, stewarding inconsistencies and driver safety. Moreover, there are ongoing speculations that the decision was made via an ‘e-vote’ rather than a commission meeting. It has also been reported that some FIA members were allegedly unaware of this vote until it had already been passed. It remains to be seen if these guidelines will lead to pushback from teams and drivers before the season starts.
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