“Nobody in the WhatsApp group thinks this is cool”: Max Verstappen’s penalty for swearing did not go down well amongst F1 drivers 

Grand Prix Drivers Association boss Alexander Wurz claimed that Max Verstappen's penalty for swearing did not sit well with the rest of the F1 drivers. The three-time world champion was penalized for using the F word in the pre-race press conference despite the instructions of the FIA, ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend.

While describing his dismal outing in last weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Dutch driver mentioned that he was aware that he would have a tough weekend in Baku as during the qualifying on Saturday he realized that the "car was f***ed".

The discretion did not go well with the FIA as they penalized Verstappen for swearing and instructed him to do community service. Former F1 driver Wurz, who is also the GPDA boss, spoke about the ruling and said:

“Nobody in the WhatsApp group thinks this is cool. Of course, all the drivers are very angry about this."

During his post-FP2 interview, the 26-year-old was asked about the stewards' ruling and his punishment but he declined to give any comments and said that he had 'no words'.

Max Verstappen gives his honest take on FIA clamping down on driver's swearing

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen stated that the FIA clamping down on swearing won't have any effect on the people watching the sport. The sport's governing body claimed that they did not believe that the F1 driver should swear 'as they are not rappers' and are also role models for the people watching the sport.

In his pre-race press conference, the Dutch driver said:

"I think you will swear anyway. if it's not in this room maybe somewhere else. Everyone swears. Some people a bit more than others. It also depends a bit on what language you speak. Of course, abuse is something else."

"I think a lot of things get broadcast nowadays whereas in other sports you don't run around with a mic attached to you. I think a lot of people say a lot of bad things when they are full of adrenaline in other sports, it just doesn't get picked up," he said.

Max Verstappen suggested some changes on the matter and added:

"So I think it already just starts with not broadcasting it. I mean, if you don't broadcast it, no one will know. Only the team, but with that you deal internally with these kinds of things."

He believed that people have become 'more sensitive' not only in the sport but also in the world. Apart from the off-track chatter, the Red Bull driver has been struggling on track as well as he found himself in P15 in the most representative practice session, FP2, on Friday and complained about balance issues.