F1 may stop driver radio broadcasts
02/13/2025 04:00 PM
The president of F1's governing body has suggested shutting down televised driver radio on top of penalties – including race bans and loss of world championship points – to stamp out swearing.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has suggested delaying – or completely shutting down – airing driver radio during F1 races in his bid to stamp out bad language on live television.
It comes on top of driver penalties – including the loss of world championship points and even race bans – for drivers using bad language, following an International Sporting Code update ahead of the 2025 Formula One (F1) season.
Speaking at a press conference in Spain, Sulayem – who runs the governing body of F1, the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) – was asked how best to prevent drivers swearing on team radio being broadcast.
"There's a lot of things we will work [on] with our promoters. We are still the owners of the championship," the FIA president responded in a clip posted by Spanish outlet SoyMotor.
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"Do we go on and then shut down the radios of live communications? Maybe. Do we delay it? Maybe."
Driver radio is currently aired on the live 'global feed' during F1 events with a minor delay enabling censorship of any swearing – with conscious decisions made on which radio communications are broadcast.
It allows viewers to hear discussions between a driver and his team while they're at the wheel – often in the heat of a fierce battle – as a large part of the sport's entertainment.
The move to limit swearing over the radio is an extension of the previous bad language ban in press conferences – or in general "when not under any particular pressure".
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Now, drivers will face scrutiny during the most intense part of a Grand Prix event – while they are racing.
The radio-shutdown suggestion comes after driver swearing was raised by Sulayem during the 2024 season as making F1 broadcasts not family-friendly.
Sulayem told British publication Autosport: "We're not rappers, you know. They say the F-word how many times per minute? We are not on that. That's them and we are [us]."
The comment raised the ire of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton who accused the FIA president of racist undertones in his comparison with rappers.
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The topic of bad language came into even greater focus when four-time world champion Max Verstappen was given 'community service' for swearing in a press conference – breaching the International Sporting Code – on the Thursday of the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix weekend.
"It is the policy of the FIA to ensure that language used in its public forums, such as press conferences, meets generally accepted standards for all audiences and broadcasts," the stewards' document issuing the penalty explained.
"In particular this is true of statements made by participants in the World Championships and thus being role models both inside and outside the sport."
With its latest January 2025 update of the sporting code – which it is responsible for – the FIA appears to have been attempting to clarify what constitutes a breach.
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It comes after Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc escaped any penalty after swearing profusely during the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend, two months after Singapore where Verstappen was sanctioned.
Yet Leclerc's bad language came while he was at the wheel of his Ferrari SF-24 – frustrated after allowing his then team-mate Carlos Sainz to finish on the podium, ahead of him – with Leclerc also apologising once he realised his radio was on.
In the lead-up to last year's Singapore race, swearing in a press conference had been re-classified by the FIA as 'misconduct', meaning the same severe penalties apply to drivers for any bad language as they would for, say, a physical assault.
Increasing penalties now apply with a €40,000 ($66,200) fine for the first offence, €80,000 ($AU132,300) for a second with a third costing €120,000 ($AU198,500) as well as a one-month ban.
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Verstappen's punishment saw a backlash from some drivers, the Dutchman protesting vehemently by barely speaking in the next press conference he attended during the Singapore weekend.
The Red Bull Racing driver then went on to speak freely to media after the press conference, outside the official media centre – where the same penalties and punishment did not apply.
"I mean, honestly, I think what I said wasn’t that bad," Verstappen told media following the news of his punishment.
"Of course, I get that if you aim it at someone that’s bad. Emotions can run high, but it’s still not okay – I understand that – but I felt like it was quite ridiculous what was given to me."
The official launch of the 2025 F1 world championship takes place on 18 February 2025, with a special event at in London, United Kingdom.
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