SINGAPORE, Sept 19 (Askume) – Max Verstappen said Formula One should not be broadcast if the sport was so concerned about swearing after the head of the FIA regulator compared drivers to abusive rappers.
Mohammed bin Sulayem told Motorsport.com that the FIA has asked Formula One management to reduce abusive behaviour on television. The Emiratis say the drivers are also responsible.
“You know we are not rappers,” said the FIA president, “How many times do they say bad words in a minute? We don’t pay attention to that.”
“Imagine sitting with your kids watching a game and someone badmouths you. I mean, what would your kids or grandkids say? If that was your game, what would you teach them?”
Verstappen used the same “expletive” to describe the state of his car when asked about his comments in the FIA press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix, saying the regulator had gone too far.
“Everyone swears, some a little more than others,” said Red Bull’s three-time world champion and current championship leader.
“Obviously, swearing is one thing … but I think a lot of things are broadcast now, whereas in other sports you don’t walk around with a microphone.
“In other sports, a lot of people say a lot of bad things in excitement and no one listens. Here, things are said for entertainment purposes too,” he said.
“Maybe that’s the world we live in… I think it all starts with not playing it or not giving people the option to listen to it.
“There are certainly a lot of apps that allow people to listen to the radio and other content. You may have to restrict that, or delay it so you can censor certain content. It’s a lot easier than banning drivers.” That would be more helpful.
bad language
Formula 1 spreads profanity on live broadcasts around the world, and in the past some drivers have deliberately used profanity in on-air conversations with the pit lane walls to prevent the message from spreading widely.
Verstappen suggested the FIA was a losing battle anyway.
He asked, “Excuse my language, but what are we? Five-year-olds? Six-year-olds?”
“Even if there are five- or six-year-old kids watching them, they will misbehave with them. Even if the parents don’t do it or allow it, when they grow up they will go around with their friends and misbehave with them.
“So, you know, it doesn’t change anything.”
Seven-time Mercedes world champion Lewis Hamilton, not known for his foul language, acknowledged there was a lot of abuse online and objected to Bensualem’s use of language.
“I didn’t like the way he expressed it,” he said. “If you think about it, most rappers are black… so I think it was the wrong choice of words. There’s a racial element to it.
“Also, it’s good to have some emotions. It’s very, very difficult. We’re not robots.”
