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PIT + PADDOCK PADDOCK P14 SINGAPORE GP IMAGES PHOTOGRAPHY: MOTORSPORT ALL Verstappen issues quit threat over impasse with FIA in swearing row FORMULA 1 Reigning Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has warned that his FIA punishment for swearing in a Singapore Grand Prix press conference could mean he quits the series earlier than planned. Verstappen was handed a community service punishment last weekend in Singapore by the FIA for describing his Red Bull car’s behaviour as f ***** in Baku during the official Thursday press conference. The punishment comes against the backdrop of a fresh crackdown by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem on drivers using swear words while on air, telling Autosport in an exclusive interview that he has asked F1 to further limit swear words making it into TV broadcasts, something the series is already doing. “We are the ones who actually approved more [radio] talk,” Ben Sulayem said. “But the rules are there for the benefit of the sport and the rules are there to be policed and to be respected also.” Verstappen protested against the FIA’s slap on the wrists by giving curt answers in Saturday’s post-qualifying press conference hosted by the FIA, labelling his punishment as “ridiculous”. He then held his own unscheduled gathering outside in the Singapore paddock, where he freely answered questions from the swarm of journalists. After finishing second on Sunday, he gave the post-race press conference a similar treatment before holding a session in the Red Bull hospitality unit. When asked on Sunday whether this may make him reconsider his future in F1, he replied: “For sure, yeah. These kinds of things definitely decide my future as well. When you can’t be yourself, you have to deal with these kinds of silly things… I think now I’m at a stage of my career that I don’t want to be dealing with this all the time. It’s really tiring. Of course, it’s great to have success and win races, but once you have accomplished all that, then you want to just have a good time as well. Everyone is pushing to the limit, but if you have to deal with all these kind of silly things, for me, that is not a way of continuing in the sport, that’s for sure.” Verstappen’s old foe Lewis Hamilton came out in support of him, urging the Dutchman not to serve the punishment. “It is a bit of a joke, to be honest,” the Mercedes driver said. “This is the pinnacle of the sport, mistakes are made. I certainly wouldn’t be doing it and I hope Max doesn’t do it.” McLaren’s Lando Norris also added it was “pretty unfair, I don’t agree with any of it”. Asked whether the governing body would risk losing a world champion due to a stringent swearing clampdown, Verstappen said: “I don’t know how serious they will take that kind of stuff, but for me at one point when it’s enough, it’s enough. Everything will go on, I have no doubt. It’s not a problem because Formula 1 will go on without me, but it’s also not a problem for me. So it’s how it is. I shouldn’t waste any energy on it actually because it’s just very silly.” EXIT LOOMS FOR RICCIARDO? At the other end of the grid there was what appeared to be a bittersweet ending to Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 career, with the Australian conceding that the Singapore GP may have been his last with Red Bull’s satellite team RB. It is widely understood that Red Bull is 4 AUTOSPORT.COM 26 SEPTEMBER 2024
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GALLOWAY Is it goodbye from Ricciardo? Lawson subbed for Ricciardo in 2023 ROMNEY nearing a decision to replace Ricciardo with reserve Liam Lawson from next month’s United States GP after Ricciardo failed to secure a promotion to Red Bull’s main team, with Sergio Perez having done enough to save his seat for now. With RB a breeding ground for future Red Bull drivers, it is thought that Lawson is a better long-term bet, and that the 22-year-old New Zealander would benefit from getting an early start before embarking on a first full campaign in 2025. Ricciardo was visibly emotional after finishing 18th in Singapore, dropping down the order after a late pitstop to secure the fastest lap of the race, and the 35-year-old admitted he fell short of his fairytale goal of returning to Red Bull. “I always said I didn’t want to come back just to be on the grid,” he said. “I wanted to try and fight back at the front and get back with Red Bull. Obviously, it didn’t come to fruition, so then I also have to ask myself the question, ‘What else can I achieve?’ Let’s say maybe the fairytale ending didn’t happen, but I also have to look back on what’s been 13 or so years and I’m proud.” FILIP CLEEREN PIT + PADDOCK Sprint race for rookies looks set to be signed off by F1 FORMULA 1 Plans to hold a Formula 1 rookie sprint race after the Abu Dhabi season finale are on course to get the green light next month, Autosport has learned. F1 is looking to hold the race as part of the Yas Marina post-season test, with the aim of giving young drivers more opportunities to gain mileage in current F1 cars. The idea gathered widespread support and it was decided that the matter should be taken on for evaluation by sporting directors to better understand whether it could be realised in regulatory terms. Following a recent meeting of F1’s Sporting Advisory Committee to consider the wider rule implications of the test, the conclusion was that the proposal was realistic. Multiple senior sources have now indicated that the plans for the sprint are moving in the right direction, and that the formal vote on it, which will be taken during the next F1 Commission meeting on 2 October, will almost certainly be in favour of it happening. The current plan calls for an event on the Tuesday (10 December) after the season finale, around the regular Pirelli test element to the day, featuring a short qualifying session and then a sprint race involving 10 rookies, with one car per team. Some of the finer logistical details still need to be sorted, including where and to what extent the event will be broadcast, with it likely to be carried by regular host channels. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said he fully supported the idea and had pushed for it several times in F1 Commission meetings. SUTTON Oscar Piastri drove for McLaren in 2022 Yas Marina rookie test “It’s something that I tabled at the last couple of Formula 1 Commissions because I think it’s great for the young drivers,” he said. “I think that the problem with some of the rookie tests is they all get used for testing. You never know, are they running on 50 kilos, 70 kilos, 30 kilos of fuel? What engine mode are they using? You don’t really know. You don’t know how the opposition are doing. So I think this non-championship race for the junior drivers is a fantastic opportunity.” From its own junior ranks, Red Bull could field Isack Hadjar and Ayumu Iwasa for the event, while it is likely to feature 2025 F1 graduates Andrea Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes, Jack Doohan at Alpine and Ollie Bearman at Haas. Other highly rated prospects in the frame for a maiden competitive outing could include McLaren’s Gabriel Bortoleto, who remains of interest to Sauber for 2025. JONATHAN NOBLE James Hunt, here in 1973 Race of Champions, is one legend to make his F1 debut in a non-points race 26 SEPTEMBER 2024 AUTOSPORT.COM 5

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PIT + PADDOCK

PADDOCK

P14 SINGAPORE GP

IMAGES

PHOTOGRAPHY: MOTORSPORT

ALL

Verstappen issues quit threat over impasse with FIA in swearing row

FORMULA 1 Reigning Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has warned that his FIA punishment for swearing in a Singapore Grand Prix press conference could mean he quits the series earlier than planned.

Verstappen was handed a community service punishment last weekend in Singapore by the FIA for describing his Red Bull car’s behaviour as f ***** in Baku during the official Thursday press conference. The punishment comes against the backdrop of a fresh crackdown by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem on drivers using swear words while on air, telling Autosport in an exclusive interview that he has asked F1 to further limit swear words making it into TV broadcasts, something the series is already doing.

“We are the ones who actually approved more [radio] talk,” Ben Sulayem said. “But the rules are there for the benefit of the sport and the rules are there to be policed and to be respected also.”

Verstappen protested against the FIA’s slap on the wrists by giving curt answers in Saturday’s post-qualifying press conference hosted by the FIA, labelling his punishment as “ridiculous”. He then held his own unscheduled gathering outside in the Singapore paddock, where he freely answered questions from the swarm of journalists. After finishing second on Sunday, he gave the post-race press conference a similar treatment before holding a session in the Red Bull hospitality unit.

When asked on Sunday whether this may make him reconsider his future in F1, he replied: “For sure, yeah. These kinds of things definitely decide my future as well. When you can’t be yourself, you have to deal with these kinds of silly things… I think now I’m at a stage of my career that I don’t want to be dealing with this all the time. It’s really tiring. Of course, it’s great to have success and win races, but once you have accomplished all that, then you want to just have a good time as well. Everyone is pushing to the limit, but if you have to deal with all these kind of silly things, for me, that is not a way of continuing in the sport, that’s for sure.”

Verstappen’s old foe Lewis Hamilton came out in support of him, urging the Dutchman not to serve the punishment. “It is a bit of a joke, to be honest,” the Mercedes driver said. “This is the pinnacle of the sport, mistakes are made. I certainly wouldn’t be doing it and I hope Max doesn’t do it.” McLaren’s Lando Norris also added it was “pretty unfair, I don’t agree with any of it”.

Asked whether the governing body would risk losing a world champion due to a stringent swearing clampdown, Verstappen said: “I don’t know how serious they will take that kind of stuff, but for me at one point when it’s enough, it’s enough. Everything will go on, I have no doubt. It’s not a problem because Formula 1 will go on without me, but it’s also not a problem for me. So it’s how it is. I shouldn’t waste any energy on it actually because it’s just very silly.”

EXIT LOOMS FOR RICCIARDO? At the other end of the grid there was what appeared to be a bittersweet ending to Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 career, with the Australian conceding that the Singapore GP may have been his last with Red Bull’s satellite team RB.

It is widely understood that Red Bull is

4 AUTOSPORT.COM 26 SEPTEMBER 2024

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