Max Verstappen questions Formula 1 future in wake of ‘silly’ FIA swearing punishment

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen is going for a fourth consecutive World Championship.

Max Verstappen hinted that events such as his punishment for swearing in a press conference on Thursday may shorten his Formula 1 career, calling it “really tiring” and “silly” to deal with.

Verstappen was ordered to carry out “some work of public interest” after swearing during the pre-race FIA press conference in Singapore, becoming the first driver punished under their expanded use of the ‘misconduct’ rule to include swearing or cursing while in such scenarios.

Max Verstappen: ‘Silly’ FIA punishments ‘definitely decide my future as well’

The reigning World Champion has long said that he does not plan on racing in Formula 1 into his 40s like his fellow title-holders in Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, with his other targets in motorsport extending to endurance racing and beyond.

But with this latest punishment coming his way, tantamount to community service from the FIA, Verstappen took to answering questions in the governing body’s mandated post-qualifying and post-race press conferences in a shorter format and holding his own media sessions beyond that with the team.

When asked if the events surrounding his penalty may have a bearing on his future stay in Formula 1, Verstappen told assembled reporters in Singapore: “Oh, for sure. Yeah. I mean, these kinds of things definitely decide my future as well, when you can’t be yourself, or you have to deal with these kinds of silly things.

“I think now, I’m at the stage of my career that you don’t want to be dealing with this all the time. It’s really tiring, you know?

“Of course, it’s great to have success and win races, but once you have accomplished all that, winning championships and races, and then you want to just have a good time as well.

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“Of course, everyone is pushing to the limit, everyone in this battle, even at the back of the grid. But if you have to deal with all these kind of silly things, for me, that is not a way of continuing in the sport, that’s for sure.”

When pressed on the subject and asked if he believes the FIA are risking pushing a multiple World Champion away from Formula 1, Verstappen was pragmatic in saying the sport will continue in his absence whenever the time comes.

“I mean, I don’t know how serious they will take that kind of stuff, but for me, of course, at one point, when it’s enough, it’s enough,” he said.

“We’ll see. I mean, like I said, racing will go on. You know, F1 will go on also without me. It’s not a problem, but also not a problem for me. So it’s how it is.”

Given that the last two days have seen Verstappen give shorter answers in the official FIA media sessions, he reasoned: “For me personally, there is absolutely no desire to give long answers there, when you get treated like that.

“I never really felt I had a bad relationship with them. You know, even this year, I did voluntary work with junior stewards, I gave them a half-hour interview, all set up.

“So I try to also help out, and when they have little favours or whatever, I’m not too difficult a person to say ‘no’. I like to help out, and then you get treated like that. Like, that’s just not how it works. So for me, it was quite straightforward, because I know that I have to answer, but it doesn’t say how long you have to answer.”

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