FIA's crusade against swearing on F1 team radio. Ben Sulayem: "Drivers are not rappers"

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FIA against swearing in F1
The International Federation intends to start a crusade against the foul language often used by key figures in Formula 1. After the first official reprimands were issued to Frederic Vasseur and Toto Wolff at the end of the 2023 season—accused of swearing during the team principals’ press conference at the Abu Dhabi GP—now even the drivers’ radio communications are under the FIA's scrutiny. The crackdown was confirmed by president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who, in an interview with Autosport, admitted to being displeased by the increasing use of curse words in the live broadcasts of GPs.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem speaks
“We need to differentiate our sport,” said the Emirati former rally driver and current president of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile – “From rap music. We are not rappers, yet how many times per minute do drivers swear? We aren't like that, it’s something rappers do, not us… I was a driver and I know how it feels in the heat of the moment when a rival pushes you off, but we also have to be aware and responsible for our behavior. Now everything is broadcast live and recorded, so we must think about how to minimize the risk of such language being spoken publicly.” – he added.

“We have to think,” Mohammed Ben Sulayem continued, “that there are also children watching the races… What are we teaching them about our sport? The FIA approved the decision to broadcast more live radio conversations. But there are also rules in place for the good of the sport, and these rules say that we must behave in a polite and respectable manner.”

New rules on misconduct in F1
The Federation’s decision to reduce tolerance for swearing follows a recent change in regulations regarding the definition of “misconduct” to include offensive language. This change of direction was also driven by recent studies conducted by the FIA, which found a correlation between drivers’ negative comments and the increase in hate towards race officials on social media. “The rules weren't written to stay the same for 30 years, but to be improved, changed, removed, and added to. And it’s not me doing it, but committees studying how to do it. The previous rules on the subject were written in 1972. No one knew, but they had been there since ’72!”

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