Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has weighed in on the controversy involving Max Verstappen and the FIA, emphasizing that Formula 1 should maintain its emotional intensity and “raw moments” without crossing the line into disrespect.
Ahead of last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, the FIA announced a clampdown on drivers swearing over team radios on race weekend or in press conferences.
As if to defy the governing body’s fresh stance on censorship, Verstappen dropped the F-word in Thursday’s media conference at Marina Bay, although he used the expletive to describe his car.
The FIA quickly acted, sanctioning the Red Bull driver with a day of community service, which led Verstappen to adopt a much more restrained approach in subsequent press conferences, opting to give more detailed answers outside of the governing body’s purview.
Wolff, who has a reputation for carefully measured yet passionate remarks, shared his thoughts on the incident, offering a balanced perspective.
“I think there is an argument that big swearing and being rude on the radio is not something that should happen,” Wolff told the media.
“If it’s so bad, it is disrespectful towards the other side of the line. There are people at home watching it, the family of the people.”
Wolff also argued that F1 risks sanitizing itself if it overreacts to moments of passion.
“Although the F-word is common language now, I think it’s always the context and the way you say it. But we want to have emotions. We want to have raw moments,” he added.
For Wolff, the balance lies in moderating excessive language without diluting the intense, high-pressure atmosphere that makes F1 so compelling.
“We understand that the drivers are in a state of extremes, but if we can dim it down a little bit, I think that’s good for all of us.
“But I wouldn’t necessarily ban the F-word. I think that is street words. There’s worse than that.”
The Mercedes chief made it clear he doesn’t view the occasional use of expletives as catastrophic.
“We are all part of that travelling circus, we know each other and I don’t think that using the F-word in a press conference is the worst thing,” he said.
“Okay, if we need to adapt, all of us adapt our language, including team principals then we’ll look at it more, the more civilized the case.”
Wolff’s personal history with the FIA also came into play during his remarks. He recalled his own experience of being reprimanded after a fiery press conference at the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2023.
At that event, Wolff and Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur clashed with the media over an incident involving a loose drain cover that wrote off Carlos Sainz’s car. Both team bosses were called to a meeting with the FIA over their discourse.
Reflecting on the moment, Wolff said with a smile, "It was quite an enjoyable experience. Fred and I were there at the same time.
“Yeah. He was a bit more worried. I said to them, it’s the first time since school that I was called to the headmaster, and I promise it’s gonna be the last time."
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