FIA News: FIA releases new penalty guidelines on foul language

The Mohammed Ben Sulayem-led FIA is risking upsetting the Formula 1 drivers even more with draconian new penalties for bad behavior.

Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc’s penalties for swearing enraged the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) in 2024, but a hypothetical third offense this year could result in six-figure fines and even month-long race bans.

“Words, deeds or writings” that harm the FIA and motor racing’s “values”, meanwhile, could ultimately lead to the actual loss of world championship points.

The 20 Formula 1 drivers will not be happy with the new system.

The FIA issued a series of stewards’ penalty guidelines that F1 drivers could face, including points deduction, and more, for ‘causing moral injury or loss to the FIA.’

An updated version of the FIA’s sporting code was released on Wednesday with a guidelines for infractions committed under Article 12, particularly regarding misconduct.

1st offense: €40,000

2nd offense: €80,000 (+ a suspended one-month suspension)

3rd offense: €120,000 (+ an actual one-month suspension and a deduction of an unspecified amount of championship points).

A driver could theoretically swear three times in a row and face a deduction of points and be banned from racing for a period of time.

The governing body defines misconduct as “the general use of language (written or verbal), gesture and/or sign that is offensive, insulting, coarse, rude or abusive and might reasonably be expected or be perceived to be coarse or rude or to cause offense, humiliation or to be inappropriate”, “assaulting (elbowing, kicking, punching, hitting, etc.)”, and “incitement to do any of the above”.