F1 champ Max Verstappen admits ENJOYING FIA punishment

Max Verstappen, Red Bull, FIA, 2024, Social — Photo: © IMAGO

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Verstappen admits ENJOYING FIA punishment

Max Verstappen had to serve an unusual FIA penalty for swearing in 2024

Originally written by Kerry Violet. This version is a translation.

Wednesday 8 January 2025 21:00

Max Verstappen has opened up on a punishment handed to him by the FIA last season, which he believed at the time was too harsh.

The Dutchman won his fourth consecutive world drivers' championship in 2024, but was hit with multiple penalties for his aggressive driving style - and copped some punishment off-track too.

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The Dutchman endured a trickier season on track than he has become accustomed to following Red Bull's domination of the sport, facing fierce competition from many rivals, with six other winners aside from Verstappen last year.

Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari all saw both of their drivers stand on the top step of the podium throughout the 2024 season, whereas Red Bull had to rely on Verstappen and his racing prowess to secure a spot in the top three in the constructors' championship.

Max Verstappen's swearing became a controversy with the FIA in 2024

Max Verstappen served his FIA penalty by giving back to the community in Rwanda

Verstappen issues update over Rwanda FIA punishment

The 27-year-old may have aimed his anger at rivals and team members alike in 2024, most notably launching a sweary tirade at race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, but the FIA chose to take action over Verstappen's use of swearing during a press conference at the Singapore GP.

Following the media session where Verstappen described his Red Bull machinery as f***ed, F1's governing body handed him 'community service', which eventually saw the champion head to Kigali to carry out his punishment, working with junior competitors as part of the grassroots development programme organised by the Rwanda Automobile Club (RAC).

Now, discussing his outlook on the visit in an interview with Blick, Verstappen has declared how he benefitted from the event.

"I spoke to the president and we agreed that I would be involved in a special children's project at the FIA celebrations in Rwanda. That was a lot of fun, by the way. It was finally a sensible solution."

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