The FIA, motorsport’s world governing body, announced on Wednesday a major dialing back of the penalties issued to drivers for cursing after a groundswell of opposition towards the new regulations.
In rules introduced by the FIA ahead of the season, F1 drivers could be penalized – with monetary fines or loss of championship points – for cursing in press conferences.
Fines started at €40,000 ($41,600) for a driver’s first offense, with it doubling for a second breach of the rules as well as a suspended one-month ban. A third offense would potentially bring about a €120,000 ($125,000) fine, a one-month ban and the loss of championship points.
But the FIA scaled back those regulations on Wednesday after continued complaints from high-level F1 drivers.
Following the amendment of Appendix B in FIA International Sporting Code, the base maximum penalties for drivers will be reduced generally from €10,000 ($11,210) to €5,000 ($5,600) – a reduction of 50% – although “for FIA World Championships, where multipliers were involved, the reductions will be even more significant,” the governing body said.
The FIA also said that stewards can suspend a penalty in certain cases if it’s a first offense by a driver or team. Stewards will also be permitted to adjudge whether language was used in “controlled” or “uncontrolled” environments to assess whether a penalty is deemed necessary – a “controlled” environment is defined as a press conferences and an “uncontrolled” environment is a “spontaneous comments made by drivers or teams when on track or during a rally stage.”
The new guidelines also state that “abuse of officials will now result in sporting penalties rather than fines, aligning motor sport with other major global sports organizations.”
“As a former rally driver, I know firsthand the range of emotions that are faced during competition. I have led an extensive and collaborative review with contributions from across the seven FIA World Championships, FIA Member Clubs and other motor sports organizations,” FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said.
“The improvements the FIA has announced today to Appendix B will ensure we continue to promote the best of sportsmanship in motor sport, while also giving Stewards effective guidelines to act against individuals who may bring the sport into disrepute. The FIA will always be committed to ensuring motor sport is accessible for all our sporting family.”
The original penalties implemented before this season were criticized by many F1 drivers who thought they were excessive. Drivers, including reigning world champion Max Verstappen, also complained about the lack of dialogue between them and the FIA around addressing any issues.
Ronan Morgan, president of the drivers’ committee, said that the changing of the rules around cursing “further strengthen the FIA’s International Sporting Code supporting our drivers by understanding the pressures they face during the heat of competition.”
“Drivers are looked up to as role models by young fans and are rightly seen as ambassadors for the wider world of motor sport, how they act really does matter but it is important to recognize that there is a difference between what is said during a race and in a press conference,” Morgan said.
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