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Lewis Hamilton has slammed the FIA’s decision to punish Max Verstappen for swearing as a “joke” after the Red Bull driver kept his answers short and sweet following Singapore Grand Prix qualifying.
And he has advised his F1 2021 title rival to refuse to serve his punishment, claiming “I certainly wouldn’t be doing it.”
Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris leap to Max Verstappen’s defence after swearing row
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
Ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem called for a clampdown on F1 drivers swearing, insisting “we have to differentiate between our sport and rap music.”
Verstappen became the first driver to fall foul of the clampdown after describing his car as “f****d” in Thursday’s drivers’ press conference at the Marina Bay circuit.
The reigning three-time World Champion was punished for the offence on Friday, with the FIA requiring Verstappen to undertake “some work of public interest,” which is yet to be defined.
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Asked at one stage to pinpoint what he had changed on his Red Bull overnight after a troubled Friday, he said: “A lot.”
Asked if he could elaborate on his original answer, Verstappen replied: “No. I might get fined or get an extra day [of community work].”
Verstappen simply commented “maybe” when asked if he is confident about the race pace of his Red Bull, before reassuring press conference host Tom Clarkson that his behaviour was nothing personal against him.
Later, Verstappen remarked that he would “prefer if you ask these questions outside the room” before issuing a “no comment” when asked if he had concerns that his conduct in the post-qualifying press conference could trigger a further punishment.
