F1 News
Rally drivers stage united protest against FIA swearing ban
During the Safari Rally Kenya, World Rally Championship drivers staged a high-profile protest against the FIA's swearing ban. The drivers refused to give interviews or spoke only answers in their native language, out of dissatisfaction with the penalties imposed by the FIA for inappropriate language.
The reason for the planned protest is the recent €10,000 fine Adrien Fourmaux received after the Rally Sweden. The French driver used inappropriate language in an interview after the race, which the FIA said was contrary to their guidelines. Many drivers found the severity of the penalty 'unacceptable' and expressed their dissatisfaction with the new rules.
In collaboration with the World Rally Drivers' Alliance (WoRDA), drivers staged a protest on Wednesday morning during the shakedown of the event. World championship leader Elfyn Evans and reigning champion Thierry Neuville chose to answer questions from the media only in their native language. Other drivers, including Fourmaux, did not even give interviews at all. Two-time world champion Kalle Rovanperä responded in an interview with the WRC after the shakedown saying, “Unfortunately, you will not hear much from me this weekend, but if this is what we have to do to make a difference, we will do it."
WoRDA wants talks with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem
Since the fine was handed out, several WRC drivers and co-drivers have joined forces to form the World Rally Drivers Alliance (WoRDA), similar to the Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA) in Formula 1. This newly formed alliance has issued a comprehensive statement, addressed to the FIA, opposing the measures taken by the motorsport organisation to fine drivers for using swear words. The statement calls for consultations with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to find an ‘urgent solution’ to the issue.
"We all agree to keep rudeness at the microphone to a minimum," reads a WoRDA statement. At the same time, it is necessary to maintain a certain freedom of expression and to keep emotions alive while drivers don't need to be afraid of getting punished in any way. We have asked the president of the FIA for some positive changes in the rules to help us achieve this goal.”
“For the reasons explained in our statement, it is impossible for us to guarantee that we (drivers and co-drivers) will be able to follow these rules perfectly and systematically. This is why we - WoRDA members - are now taking the responsible decision to remain silent at the end of the interviews or to answer in our mother tongue. In the own interest of our sport, such an action is unfortunately needed, and we apologize to all the rally fans, even though we know they support us in this.” The FIA has reportedly not yet entered into talks with WoRDA.
This article has been created in collaboration with Mitchel van der Hoef.
Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels too!