Guenther Steiner explains why he agrees with Max Verstappen in FIA swearing row

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Max Verstappen and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem were engulfed in a row during the Singapore Grand Prix over language used in an official press conference.

The Dutchman was penalised by the stewards for swearing while describing the state of his Red Bull during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and will be “obliged to accomplish some work of public interest.”

It came on the same weekend that Ben Sulayem said F1 drivers must be more mindful and “differentiate between motorsport and rap music” when speaking to Dutch media.

The President also confirmed that the FIA had requested FOM to censor team radio messages broadcast on TV that include swearing, in a bid to crack down on language usage.

His position was met with hostility within the F1 paddock, with Verstappen electing not to answer any questions in the official press conference in protest, instead holding his own session outside the TV area for media.

Verstappen is the first driver to receive a penalty under the new rules after teams were warned following last year’s Las Vegas GP when both Toto Wolff and Frederic Vasseur used colourful language.

Former F1 team principal Guenther Steiner weighed in on the matter and offered his support for Verstappen when speaking on the Champ1 podcast.

Guenther Steiner weighs in on Max Verstappen swearing row

Steiner is known for being a sweary character in F1 through his appearances on Drive to Survive Netflix show, where he is often depicted using expletives against drivers or an unfavourable situation.

He came out in support of Verstappen and explained why he thinks the FIA has got one aspect of the new rules wrong.

“Max didn’t use that word to insult anyone he was just describing the car’s condition. He could have chosen a different word, but I think he didn’t say it on purpose but he didn’t try to avoid describing how his car drivers or what it is like the moment,” said Steiner.

“When he got this punishment he responded by saying ‘I don’t have to do that’ I also have to agree with him that in a press conference, you can say whatever you want, it’s still freedom of speech. Max contributes a lot to F1 and if we lose people like him then it’s a big loss.”

Martin Brundle thinks Max Verstappen is ‘wasting energy’ on swearing row

While drivers are still allowed to swear when talking to their engineers over team radio, the FIA wants them to be more mindful in official press conferences.

Verstappen initially said the clampdown was unlikely to change how drivers speak publicly to their teams on the broadcasts, just hours before the stewards in Singapore penalised him for his remarks in the same press conference.

Martin Brundle has said Verstappen is ‘wasting energy’ on fighting his corner, especially amid his title battle with Lando Norris in the last six races of the season.

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher also claimed the row between Verstappen and the FIA is likely only going to end in one way for the Dutchman.