Jos Verstappen has sharply criticized the FIA’s decision to penalize his son, Max Verstappen, with community service for using expletive language during an official press conference in Singapore.
Jos, himself a seasoned rally driver, voiced his disdain during the East Belgian Rally, categorizing the punishment as “ridiculous” and expressing doubts about the FIA’s overall performance.
Jos’s critique comes at a time when penalties for language have taken center stage in the motorsport world. Rally driver Sebastien Ogier, for instance, recently received a suspended €30,000 fine for reprimanding officials during the Acropolis Rally in Greece.
Reflecting on these incidents, Jos remarked to Autosport:
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“I think that is the most ridiculous thing.
“But we also see it in rally.
“I don’t think the FIA is doing a very good job. But I won’t say too much about this!”
Max Verstappen himself has responded to his community service sanction by staging a subtle protest. Over the weekend, he limited his responses during official press conferences, choosing instead to address the media more freely outside of these structured settings.
His brief and pointed reply that “these kinds of things definitely decide my future as well” when questioned about the impact of the punishment suggests that the penalty could influence his career decisions in the near future.
Speaking about his penalty, the three-time champion explained to the media during the Singapore GP weekend:
“I find it, of course, ridiculous what happens. So why should I then give full answers?” he said.
“Because I might… It’s very easily, apparently you get a fine, or you get some sort of penalties.
“I prefer then not to speak a lot, save my voice and I mean, we can do the interviews also somewhere else, if you need some answers to the questions asked.
“They want to set the precedent, and people got warnings or a little fine.
“Now with me, they wanted to set an even bigger example, I guess. Which for me is a bit weird, of course.
“Because I didn’t swear at anyone particularly, I just said one thing about my car. But it’s in the code, so they have to follow the book.
“I don’t want to blame this on the stewards, because I actually had a really good chat with them. They just have to follow the code, you know, and the book.
“I think they’re quite understanding, but it’s difficult for them as well.
“I think what I said wasn’t that bad. And, of course, I get if you aim it at someone I think that’s bad.
“Of course emotions can run high, but that’s still not okay. I understand that, but I felt like it was quite ridiculous what was given to me.”