Mercedes and Ferrari team principals Toto Wolff and Frederic Vasseur have been given formal warnings over the language they used during an official press conference last week.
The pair were referred to the stewards by the FIA media delegate “concerning the use of certain language at the FIA press conference in Las Vegas on 16 November.”The pair were founded to have breached article 12.2.1.f of the International Sporting Code which forbids “any words, deeds or writings that have caused moral injury or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members or its executive officers, and more generally on the interest of motor sport and on the values defended by the FIA.”
Tempers ran high during the team principals’ press conference on Thursday night at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, which occurred shortly after the first practice session was abandoned. Vasseur’s driver Carlos Sainz Jnr struck a loose water valve cover at high speed, causing serious damage to his car and causing the first practice session at the new event to be stopped after just eight minutes.
When the press conference moderator tried to ask Vasseur about the promotional work Ferrari were doing at the race, he replied: “I’m not sure that is the topic for me today.
“We had a very tough FP1. This will cost us a fortune. We fucked up the session for Carlos. We won’t be part of the FP2 for sure.
“We have to change the chassis out of the car, to set-up the car. okay, the show is the show and everything is going well but I think it’s just unacceptable for the F1 today.”
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Later in the same session Wolff reacted angrily when another journalist interjected after he denied the Sainz incident was a “black eye” for F1 at its new event.
“You’re speaking about a fucking drain cover that’s been undone, that has happened before. That’s nothing. It’s FP1.”
A hearing took place at the Yas Marina at 5pm local time today. A statement from the FIA indicated it had not been possible to conduct a hearing on Sunday morning at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The race took place on Saturday night.
Vasseur offered the defence that he was “extremely upset and frustrated by the incident that had
occurred in [first practice] and that language such as this, by him, was not usual.” Wolff also said “the use of the language concerned was in this case unusual” and added it was “provoked by an abrupt interjection during the press conference and therefore cannot be regarded as typical from this team principal.”
Nonetheless the stewards gave formal warnings to both, stating “the FIA regards language of this type to be unacceptable, moving forward, particularly when used by participants in the sport who have a high public profile and who are seen by many, especially younger, followers of the sport, as role models, and that in future the FIA will not tolerate the use of such language in FIA forums by any stakeholder.”
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SjaakFoo (@sjaakfoo)
23rd November 2023, 13:46
The FIA is about as uptight about naughty words as the comment section on this website is. A bit weird, honestly, lets not pretend we all aren’t using that language every day. No reason to be a prude.
Mach1 (@mach1)
23rd November 2023, 13:56
You have got it wrong, it was not the f-words that got them summoned, it’s the fact that Vasseur said it was unacceptable and Toto mentioned the drain cover coming loose.
AdrianMorse (@adrianmorse)
23rd November 2023, 13:57
Not sure I agree. Heat-of-the-moment radio messages are one thing, but I expect better from team principles in a Friday press conference. I also felt their language was inappropriate.
MichaelN
23rd November 2023, 21:01
It may have been inappropriate, and it’s totally fair for people to think less of them for not being able to express themselves in a better way – but that’s on them. I’m sure that if they make a habit of looking silly they’ll get a call from the people who pay good money to be associated with their teams. For them to occasionally show some anger and frustration is fine. It won’t be their best and proudest moment of the season, but it’s fine.
Ferdinand
24th November 2023, 12:16
You would think so:
yet in 2021 there was plenty of reason to kick at least two team bosses out but the call never came
someone or something
23rd November 2023, 15:54
A “bit” weird, you say?
I have to say I’m completely weirded out by this. People who feel offended by four-letter-words are the problem, not the vast majority of people who have casually been using them since the dawn of time, without causing anyone harm by doing so, ever.
ryanoceros (@ryanoceros)
23rd November 2023, 17:08
A lot of people are fragile and take everything personally. Others just like to control people. I say let adults speak like adults. The use of these common words in the press conference was out of passion. Don’t censor people over bogus morality. I understand it isn’t their platform but in this context the expressions were understandable and/or warranted.
Todfod (@todfod)
24th November 2023, 6:32
Honestly, who cares about dropping the f bomb once in a while… Netflix loves it.
Jim from US (@jimfromus)
23rd November 2023, 15:07
Amazed how easy it is to get the stewards together to review this issue but when Haas filed their complaint a few weeks ago, a supposed challenge was to get the stewards back together.
PacificPR (@streydt)
23rd November 2023, 15:14
Well it’s good to see the FIA has got it’s priorities straight.. I mean why bother investigating a seriously dangerous incident that could have easily ended up with someone getting hurt. No let’s instead divert the focus to team principals saying a few naughty words.
SteveP
23rd November 2023, 20:05
This.
From the reported damage, Carlos Sainz had his personal rear end a few inches from getting ripped a new hole – no biggie.
Single use (each) of a common word not normally used in polite circles is worthy of a meeting of the stewards (who we’re told are pressed for time)
Uh??
osnola
23rd November 2023, 15:41
With these stewards F1 is ready for Russia. So Sochi next year?
With Putin as one of the stewards.
/S
Joking aside .. Vasseur was very understandable, toto went over the line. But both should speak their mind and no russian censorship in F1!
someone or something
23rd November 2023, 15:58
That’s not Russian, though. You can probably say much more obscene things in Russian without raising too many eyebrows.
This right here is an American thing. Or maybe some kind of unholy American-Middle Eastern alliance of public uptightness brewing up. Whatever it is, I don’t like it one bit.
ryanoceros (@ryanoceros)
23rd November 2023, 16:19
Have you been to the US? All communications drip with profanity.
MichaelN
23rd November 2023, 17:21
F1 has always been ready for Russia, it’s just not possible for them to go there because the FIA refuses to sanction events there. The only thing that matters to F1 is money.
sam
23rd November 2023, 16:11
The fia is sure scared of words…like, WE ARE SORRY the whole 1st day of the event was amateur hour.
PacificPR (@streydt)
23rd November 2023, 17:22
+1
Carsten Nielsen (@carstenb)
23rd November 2023, 18:21
Couldn’t agere more
MichaelN
23rd November 2023, 17:22
And on the other hand Liberty is salivating over every opportunity to put a juvenile outburst into their Best of Team Radio videos… good job guys, good job.
ChrisJ (@chriju0411)
23rd November 2023, 18:47
But concerning article 12.2.1.f “any words” doesn’t mean “all words”. Right?
MadMax (@madmax)
23rd November 2023, 23:52
The numerous beeps in some drivers radio messages show whats much more inappropriate.