Alpine Formula One driver Pierre Gasly has broken his silence on the FIA’s attempts to ban swearing, terming the penalties as “harsh” and questioning if such sanctions were required.
Formula One’s governing body, the FIA, has categorized certain actions and behaviors as ‘misconduct,’ which include insulting or inappropriate language and gestures. The initiative is said to have been led by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who expressed his dislike of drivers swearing over the team radio.
While F1 drivers support clean language and behavior, the FIA has revised penalties for misconduct, with fines starting at €40,000 for a first-time violation, €80,000 and a one-month ban for a second violation, and a €120,000 fine with a potential points deduction for a third violation.
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They have also been prohibited from uttering religious, political, or personal statements without the FIA’s consent. Several drivers have expressed that the updated rules are harsh. The matter has become a topic of debate since drivers have been found to express themselves in a carefree manner under the influence of high adrenaline while speaking on the radio during race weekends.
Ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix weekend in Shanghai, Gasly was asked about a drivers’ meeting that took place in Melbourne last weekend and if it was clear what is deemed as misconduct. He said:
“I think it’s clear. Obviously been discussed and I think my view on it is we’re professional, we want to be respectful. We are role models. We got to live up to the standards and use some common sense because I think that’s completely understandable.
“At the same time, I do feel it’s not always easy when you don’t speak your mother language. I’m French, I learn English. I speak English, but I’m not at ease as much as I do when I’m French.”
The Alpine driver pointed out that language barriers can lead to misinterpretation when English isn’t a first language, and remarked that the new sanctions were questionable. He added:
“You don’t always mean exactly what you say when you don’t speak your language. At the end of the day, this is what we’ve got to deal with. I think there was a good conversation. We understand where we want to go, and I think we all want to meet in the same place.
“It’s just about the way. Sanction, about it, which is a bit questionable and hopefully we can improve it. The environment of it, hopefully we can just come into a more understandable place in terms of fines and sanctions which does feel a bit harsh at the end of the day because it doesn’t feel really needed.”