Johnny Herbert, who was one of the stewards at the Singapore Grand Prix, explained the sanction imposed on Max Verstappen due to his language.
On Thursday in Singapore, during the traditional FIA press conference, Max Verstappen declared that his “car was shit”, using in English the word “fucked”.
A word noted by the FIA and which earned Max Verstappen to explain himself to the commissioners before finally receiving community service.
While this sanction caused a lot of talk in the paddock in Singapore, Johnny Herbert, who was at the heart of this affair through his role as commissioner, defended the verdict.
“Press conferences are broadcast around the world”Herbert told Casino Hawks. “There are more swear words than there ever have been. A press conference is not the place for this.”
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A sanction “more beneficial” than a fine
“Some journalists have said that sport is trying to turn drivers into robots”, continues Herbert. “This is not the case. You just ask them not to say bad words, which I think is the right thing to do. Most drivers don’t say bad words.”
“The incident was reported to us as commissioners. We had a good chat with Max for 20 minutes, half an hour, in what was a difficult situation.”
“You could see on his face that he was very upset. But when he left, he seemed at peace with the procedure and its reason for being. He did not blame us as commissioners.”
“As stewards we have a range of tools at our disposal to sanction drivers. We are here to apply the rules and make a decision together.”
“We could have fined him, but we felt it would be more beneficial to get him to do something socially responsible. It is up to Max and the FIA to determine what this action will be.”
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