FIA Chairman Mohammed Ben Sulayem has received unexpected support for his policy on swearing from Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. Wolff agrees with the chairman that drivers could be more polite over the team radio. “I disagree with many of the other things Ben Sulayem comes up with,” Wolff said.
Toto Wolff and FIA Chairman Mohammed Ben Sulayem do not see eye to eye on many points. However, the Austrian team boss admits he agrees with the chairman’s stance on drivers’ swearing. Wolff had previously criticized the ‘reality show’ that Formula 1 has become due to all the issues within the FIA, but on this point, the team boss seems to side with Ben Sulayem.
“I have a seven-year-old who races karts and watches everything,” Wolff explains why he supports Ben Sulayem, to Motorsport.com. “It was the first time, a few months ago, that he said ‘what the f**k’, and I asked ‘where did you get that from?’. He said he got it from the drivers.
‘Quite Rude’
While outbursts from drivers in the car are not uncommon, Wolff believes that manners could be improved in Formula 1. “I have my disagreements with Mohammed (Ben Sulayem), but in this case, the drivers, all drivers, are role models. I disagree with many of the other things he (Ben Sulayem) proposes, but in this regard, I think if you translate ‘f**k’ into your own language or my language, it’s quite rude. I would never say that on the radio.”
Max Verstappen received a penalty during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend for describing the RB20 as ‘f**ked’ during an FIA press conference. “He is a driver whose first language is not English,” team boss Christian Horner defended his driver back in September. Verstappen has since completed his penalty.
