FIA explains: Why was Verstappen penalised AND Ticktum wasn't?
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Dan Ticktum was certainly not happy with his team at the Saudi Arabia ePrix last Friday. He was swearing and ranting over the board radio, but the Stewards didn't see fit to penalise the Briton for his outburst, while Max Verstappen, on the other hand, was on the receiving end of a a harsh penalty for using the word 'fucked' in 2024. Double standards? The FIA explains reasoning behind their decision.
Ticktum was livid- a man known for his verbal outbursts. The Briton was told just before his pit stop that there was an error, which would cost him extra time. To that, the Kira driver responded, "Can we just try and not do that and risk it? Because we're going to lose the whole fucking race because of that. Oh for fucks sake man, fucking hell. Right, Mode 0 when I stop? Hello? Mode 0 when I stop? Fuck this shit, I box now."
When Ticktum was then told there was no other way around the issue, he responded: "Why? Why? No, just get on with it! What the fuck are we doing? Fucking hell, what a shit show. I'm getting off, fucking hell. No, oh! Guys I'm getting out. Fucking hell. Oh my God. Why? Why are we changing the wing? What the fucking hell has just happened? Please bring me in..."
Why was there no penalty for Ticktum?
The FIA recently announced that it will punish drivers heavily when they use inappropriate language in their sanctioned championships. But in Ticktum's case, the stern disciplinary action did not come to pass, which led to some confusion: Why was Verstappen penalised in Singapore while the Briton escaped punishment in Saudi Arabia?
The FIA has since issued a statement on the matter: "The stewards have been made aware and decided that no further action was needed as this happened in the context of a radio communication with the team and not during a media interview," Autosport quotes.
Ticktum's outburst, incidentally, was not televised. Only fans who used the Formula E app and followed the full radio traffic could hear Ticktum's rant.
In any case, the stewards' decision set a precedent: use of inappropriate language during radio conversations between driver and team will not be penalised.
This article was written in collaboration with Norberto Mujica.
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