Rosberg: Verstappen "pushing the limits" after Singapore press confernece

It all started after FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem released a statement before the Grand Prix weekend at the Marina Bay Circuit saying that the amount of swearing in F1, whether that be in press conferences, team radios, or elsewhere, needs to be cut out. However, on Thursday, Verstappen used the word "f*****" to describe his car at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last weekend.

Verstappen was told off by the press conference leader Tom Clarkson straight away, and then he was given a fine and a day of 'community service' as punishment by the FIA. Two days later, he was in another FIA press conference after qualifying, but this time he refused to answer questions in protest of his penalty. Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton both agreed that it was a harsh penalty for the Dutchman, with the latter saying he would not take part in the penalty if it were given to him, and he hopes Verstappen will do the same.

Rosberg says Verstappen is walking "a fine line"

The incident has filled the paddock in the last 48 hours, and it is the main topic of conversation for TV coverage too. Rosberg was asked for his thoughts on the matter in front of the Sky Sports cameras, saying that Verstappen is really testing the waters with his reactions: "Max is really going for it now by not even speaking in the FIA press conference. You’re contractually obliged to answer the questions, so sure, it's a fine line. He's pushing the limits there. He is the world champion, so he’s the most important person in the paddock. But that would be interesting to watch that play out."

However, the 2016 world champion does not like the idea that swearing will be severely punished: "I'm for beeping it off and that's it, and let them be how they want to be, because that's authentic. We want to see the anger. We don't want to mute anger. Just beep it off and then fine."