Aussie Formula One star Oscar Piastri has slammed strict new rules that will see drivers slapped with a fine of up to $200,000 for swearing during the heat of the moment in a race.
Drivers will face both bans and hefty fines if they are caught using obscene language over their team radios for the first time at the Melbourne Grand Prix this month.
The Formula One governing body Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) introduced the new rule under its revised ‘misconduct’ guidelines.
Drivers will cop a $66,896 fine for their first offence, $133,791 for a second offence and a whopping $200,687 for a third offence in a two-year period.
FIA ushered in the new rule in an attempt to curb repeated obscene language being broadcast on team radios and subsequently on live TV broadcasts.
Drivers can also face up to a one-month suspension and even a deduction of championship points under the guideline’s harsher penalties.
Formula One driver Oscar Piastri slammed the penalties as being too harsh.
Piastri said that, although drivers were well-aware their team talk was broadcast on television, it was unrealistic to expect them to focus on watching their language in the heat of the moment during a race.
‘The fines are quite harsh, so I think that is something that we would like to discuss with the FIA,’ the 23-year-old told the Herald Sun.
Australian Formula One driver Oscar Piastri labelled the new swearing ban as ‘harsh’, as drivers face up to a $200,000 fine for using obscene language during a race
‘They can’t be expecting us to say absolutely nothing when we are in the car.
‘We are full of adrenaline. We are first and foremost speaking to our team.’
Although he accepted it was important to be ‘respectful’, he said it would be fairer to police drivers’ language when they weren’t on track.
‘There is still a point to being respectful to people. Outside of the car it’s completely fair to expect us not to swear, I think that is just how society runs,’ The Melbourne-born racer, who drives for McLaren, said.
The ban on swearing will be introduced at Melbourne’s Grand Prix between March 13 to 16.
It will be the first time drivers face a penalty for using obscene language during a race, with the fines handed out at the discretion of stewards.
FIA explained fine would also apply to ‘any words, deeds or writings that have caused moral injury or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members or its executive officers, and more generally on the interest of motorsport’.
Drivers have previously faced fines and penalties for swearing during press conferences.
The new rule will be tested at the Melbourne Grand Prix from March 13 to 16
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc copped a fine of more than $16,700 after he swore during a press conference at the Mexican Grand Prix.
Red Bull Racing’s Verstappen was given a community service penalty after he swore during a press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix in 2024.
