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Drivers WhatsApp group have clear verdict on Verstappen's penalty says Wurz
Max Verstappen's community service penalty for using the word 'fucked' is keeping tempers pretty high in Singapore. While (especially) British analysts can agree with the sanction for Red Bull Racing's Dutchman, the other 19 F1 drivers seem to think very differently, Alexander Wurz revealed to Motorsport-Total.
Former F1 driver Alexander Wurz says that all F1 drivers believe that Max Verstappen's penalty for swearing in Thursday's press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix was extremely harsh.
Drivers unhappy as FIA look to cut swearing out
Verstappen was given a community service penalty by the FIA after saying his car was "f*****" at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last weekend, just a few hours after the FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said he wanted a clamp down on expletives used in the sport.
It has been a topic of discussion in the paddock at the Marina Bay Circuit after, and Wurz, the president of the Drivers' Association, the GPDA, said that the reaction from the drivers in their WhatsApp group chat was big: "Nobody in the Whatsapp group thinks this is cool. Of course, all drivers are fierce about this," the former F1 driver said to Motorsport-Total.
Wurz was also irritated that Ben Sulayem did not discuss this with the drivers first, but 'immediately went public with this and came up with a punishment'. According to Wurz, this is 'extraordinary'.
Wurz continued by saying he does want the drivers to be careful with what they way out to the public, but he also does not want there to be any loss of authenticity in the world of F1: "Personally, I am not a fan of verbally attacking competitors. But if he complains about his car, that's something he should just sort out with his team boss," Wurz believes.
Finally, Wurz reiterates what has been suggested earlier in recent days: if the FIA then has a problem with swearing drivers, Formula One Management should simply not broadcast such footage.
This article was written in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen