Rally drivers have joined their Formula 1 counterparts in calling on the FIA to back down in its efforts to punish swearing.
Last year the Grand Prix Drivers Association told FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem fining drivers for swearing was “not appropriate”. However the FIA last month introduced a new system of fines for drivers who swear during official media activities.Hyundai World Rally Championship driver Adrian Fourmaux became the first person to be penalised under the new structure. He was fined €30,000, €20,000 of which was suspended, for using the word “fucked” in an interview during the Rally of Sweden.
Now rally drivers have formed the World Rally Drivers Alliance, their equivalent of the GPDA, to air their grievances over the FIA’s policy on what it calls “misconduct”.
A statement issued by WoRDA, and signed by 33 drivers including Fourmaux, said there has been an “alarming increase in the severity of the sanctions imposed for minor, isolated and unintentional language lapses” which “has reached an unacceptable level.”
The rally drivers said common swear words “cannot be considered and judged as equal to [a] genuine insult”, noted that drivers may use words of unfamiliar languages without fully understanding their meaning and pointed out they are often interviewed moments after a stage when they are feeling the effects of adrenaline.
The WoRDA drivers also echoed the words of their F1 counterparts by calling on the FIA to explain what the money it raises from fines is used for.
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The group called on the FIA to hold a meeting with its drivers “to find a mutually agreeable and urgent solution”.
Statement of World Rally Drivers Alliance regarding ‘Driver Misconduct’
The rally drivers and co-drivers of WoRDA, inspired by their GPDA colleagues, join together to express their opinion, seek clarity and co-operate towards a brighter future.
First and foremost, we wish to state that, as is the case with every sport, competitors must abide by the referee’s decision. The respect of this principle is not in question.
We are not all full-time professionals, yet we all face the same extreme conditions with the same relentless passion. Whether navigating through dense forests, across frozen roads in the dead of night, or through the dust of treacherous gravel tracks, we push ourselves to the limit — against the elements, against the clock, and against our own limits.
Beyond racing, our role has expanded. Today, rally drivers and co-drivers are not only athletes but also entertainers, content creators, and constant media figures. From the smartphones of spectators to the official WRC cameras, we are expected to be available at all times — before, during, and after competition, from dawn to dusk.
WoRDA has always recognised our responsibilities and commitment to collaborate in a constructive way with all stakeholders, including the FIA president, in order to promote and elevate our outstanding Sport for the benefit of all.
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In recent months, however, there has been an alarming increase in the severity of the sanctions imposed for minor, isolated and unintentional language lapses. This has reached an unacceptable level.
We strongly believe that:
– Common colloquialism cannot be considered and judged as equal to genuine insult or an act of aggression
– Non mother-tongue speakers may use or repeat terms without full awareness of their meaning and connotation
– Seconds after an extreme adrenaline spike, it is unrealistic to expect a perfect and systematic control over emotions.Rally is extreme: Risk level for the athletes, intensity of the focus, length of the days all the limits are reached.
In such a case we question the relevance and validity of imposing any sort of penalty. Moreover, the exorbitant fines are vastly disproportionate to the average income and budget in rallying.
We are also concerned with the public impression these excessive sums create in the minds of the fans, suggesting this is an industry where money doesn’t matter.
This also raises a fundamental question where does the money from these fines go? The lack of transparency only amplifies concerns and undermines confidence in the system.
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Surely the negative impressions surrounding these penalties far outweigh the impact of any language lapse.
We call for a direct communication and engagement between the FIA president and WoRDA members to find a mutually agreeable and urgent solution.
Sportingly,
The Rally Drivers and Codrivers members of WoRDA
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drmouse (@drmouse)
24th February 2025, 11:22
I have worked for several consultancies with high value clients. If I swore in even a private meeting with them I would expect to be warned in the strongest terms for a first offence, and potentially dismissed or sanctioned after that. If I was ever in a position to speak at a press conference, I am pretty sure it would be instant dismissal.
That said, this applies only to official communications. Where a member of the client organisation is a part of the regular team for the project I was working on, limited bad language in day-to-day meetings is generally acceptable.
If these highly paid athletes can’t keep their language under control in press conferences, under the eye of the whole world, I’m sorry but they deserve what they get. They are already in a better position than most, in that they are unlikely to just be fired for it.
On team radio, on the other hand…. Even though it can be broadcast, it is communication between the driver and his team. I do not believe there should ever be fines/punishment for what is said on there, unless it is from the team itself. Just because the world can be allowed to listen in to these communications doesn’t stop them being, primarily, the driver and team communicating in a way they deem appropriate to the situation.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
24th February 2025, 21:22
@drmouse By the athetes’ standards, these are day-to-day meetings (they happen 4 days a week, usually at least twice on each of those days, on average half of the weeks of the year if testing weeks are included). On average, they have at least 4 of these meetings per week.
The FIA might not feel this to be the case, of course. They might feel this is more analogous to a supermarket. The difference, of course, is that a supermarket is not only allowed to forbid its staff from talking to the press, but invariably will do so unless it is obvious the discussion will go nowhere near a working matter and will also be done in a way where no association with the brand could reasonably be made (and for that matter the supermarkets get near-total control about the circumstances of any such interview).
If the FIA wants press interviews to sound like supermarket interviews, it will need to allow teams full choice of whether, when, where and with whom any interview occurs. Which will require it to scrap all penalties for not participating in any form of media (up to and including the FIA Gala).
Jojo
25th February 2025, 10:27
What you’re saying may apply more to F1, but in WRC Fourmaux was interviewed immediately after completing a stage, as they always are, so literally by the time he has slowed the car to a stop he had the microphone shoved in front of him. Also they don’t earn anywhere close to what F1 drivers are earning, so €30000 is a big chunk of money for them.
El Pollo Loco
25th February 2025, 14:15
I’m sorry, but are you seriously suggesting fans expect and desire athletes (whether F1 driver, footballers, etc.) behave and treat interviews and radio messages as if they were in a corporate meeting? That is delusional. F1 is a form escapism. No one, or very few, want to be reminded of the tedium of their day jobs.
drmouse (@drmouse)
25th February 2025, 16:17
No, I don’t expect them to treat it as a corporate meeting. I don’t, however, believe it’s really all that difficult to not swear. I don’t have a problem with swearing myself, but they are making such a big deal out of it, as if it’s literally impossible for them to say more than 3 words without swearing.
The interviews go out on TV to people from many countries, backgrounds, etc. If they swear, they will put off a reasonable chunk of potential viewers. If they don’t, they won’t, and it won’t put anyone else off. It just makes sense.
El Pollo Loco
25th February 2025, 21:38
Then you should have just said, but then your point would have been one many had already made.
I feel the same (I don’t care one way or the other), but it’s exactly the opposite. It’s the FIA making a huge deal out of it. It’s not the drivers who keep bringing it up time and again. It’s the FIA who keep passing more restrictions related to swearing and even bigger fines. While MBS keeps making more and more statements about it.
Some are act as if the drivers swear left and right or are saying they should be able to. The number of times they’ve sworn in an interview can be counted on one hand. The real issue is that had the FIA treated them like adults and simply asked them not to swear in a respectful manner they likely would have. However, they not only refused to do, MBS refused to meet with the drivers, but has done many things to make it feel like a challenge to their personal autonomy. They’ve already passed rules forbidding criticism of stewards and other topics. And individuals tend not to react well when they feel like they’re being silenced.
The other issue is that many fans want the drivers to be able to express their emotions, swears and all and are afraid this will lead to them acting even more like automatons because they’ll need to be careful to ensure something doesn’t slip in the heat of the moment and/or start giving dull, brief answers out of animosity toward MBS/the FIA to teach them a lesson.
El Pollo Loco
25th February 2025, 21:44
I feel the same (I don’t care one way or the other), but my opinion is exactly the opposite regarding who is the one making a big deal of it.*
S
26th February 2025, 6:06
Apart from the fact they did exactly that – the reaction (including from the drivers) is the part that is somewhat immature and disrespectful.
Pretty much every sporting organisation has similar rules and culture regarding abusive/disrespectful behaviour towards stewards in particular – even independently of the ISC (which all FIA-licenced drivers are signatories to, just to be clear).
And of course nobody is being silenced – they are merely being reminded that this is a workplace, and there is an expectation that all people in it and the consumers of it will be treated with respect and appropriate communication. Being a highly public, global, G-rated ‘sporting’ broadcast only makes it more important for those standards of decency to be adhered to at all times.
The teams (including the drivers) have failed to comply with repeated requests.
F1 drivers (and other high-profile sportspeople) act much like ‘corporate automatons’ by choice – not strictly because of rules imposed by the governing body, but due to more direct commercial motivations. They very rarely bad-mouth their sponsors, but it seems to be okay to have a go at the organisation not directly paying them fortunes for positive quotes in front of the cameras. Funny that.
Regardless – it will stop being a big deal when the drivers conform to the rules, and/or the media stops throwing fuel on it. Just like the jewellery thing (the wearing of which is still in clear contradiction of the rules, by the way – just like it was when Todt was FIA boss).
Craig
24th February 2025, 11:41
I still think this whole debacle is less to do with swearing itself but more to do with controlling what the drivers say full stop.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
24th February 2025, 21:23
And/or shoring up the FIA’s financial position.
El Pollo Loco
25th February 2025, 21:46
A desire to silence them full stop and MBS’ desire to show he will crush anyone who challenges him.
PeteB (@peteb)
24th February 2025, 12:36
Ok so that’s F1 and WRC drivers on board – all they have to do is agree amongst each other to “no comment” every interview at the track and the rules will be relaxed very quickly.
Personally, I don’t see the rules as a problem. There are lots of footballers where English isn’t their first language but they’re not swearing in interviews so that excuse doesn’t work for me. They’re interviewed straight after matches as well so I’m not sure the adrenaline argument checks out either.
Just don’t swear when you’re being interviewed on TV. Seems fairly straightforward to me.
Jere (@jerejj)
24th February 2025, 12:55
The adrenaline effect is usually higher in motorsports due to high average speeds & risks involved.
Therefore, I reckon at least 95% adrenaline effect still exists during special stage time control interviews.
PeteB (@peteb)
24th February 2025, 13:29
Yeah that’s fair. Of course, several of them (in F1 at least) have sworn in press conferences that are usually done before they’ve even stepped in the car.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
24th February 2025, 21:25
@peteb Another aspect is that for many years, the F1 drivers were taught that they should swear under certain circumstances (particularly to avoid radio from being broadcast – until 2018, it was a very effective technique to avoid getting strategies from openly being broadcast). Let alone they’re still sometimes asked questions to which the correct answer is a swear.
David BR (@david-br)
24th February 2025, 12:52
Can I ask for more swearing on team radios? Much more appealing.
In press conferences, I’m not bothered in the least by swearing either. Sometimes people forget they supposed to be on best corporate behaviour, transmitting to a global audience. It hardly seems like an endemic problem. Personally I think fining people such huge somes – even if they can afford it – for a swear word is far more obscene. €30,000. That’s six times the global average income in euros (€5,000). For one swear word. So the large majority of the planet would have to work for years to pay that back.
David BR (@david-br)
24th February 2025, 12:53
* sums
drmouse (@drmouse)
24th February 2025, 13:19
But relative to their income, it’s a tiny sum. Even someone like Gasly earns around 5m, a fine of 30k is 0.6% of that, or the equivalent of someone on a UK average wage paying a fine of just over £200. And that’s a low-earning driver, those at the upper end earn 10 times that. No wonder Max doesn’t really care about being slapped with fines for swearing, it’s the equivalent of £20, pocket change, a slap on the wrist.
David BR (@david-br)
24th February 2025, 14:26
@drmouse I realize it’s a tiny fraction of their income, but my point is that it strikes me as more of an obscenity to issue what for most people would be huge fines for something so trivial. The penalty should be a grid penalty or disqualification. Obviously then there would be uproar all round. But that would expose how ludicrous this anti-swearing drive is.
Bob
24th February 2025, 16:18
30 k for a new rally driver is not a fraction of his wage, 30 k from 150 k is alot… that is very different from fining Gasly 30 k from his 12 million a year deal….. or Max on his 65 million a year deal…..
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
24th February 2025, 21:27
@drmouse Only for some of them. George Russell has pointed out that some of them don’t break even in Year 1 due to setting up essential expenses that become necessary on the step-up to F1. (Obviously the ones on the biggest salaries will barely notice the fine – which makes increasing the fine even sillier. Even a $1 fine would probably be as effective a deterrent for them, since the entire sting is in the fact it happened rather than the degree of consequence.
Jere (@jerejj)
24th February 2025, 13:02
Good for them. The long-time traditional special stage time control interviews are just as great an example as team radio comms in circuit racing where the adrenaline effect is high enough for even inadvertent but harmless language misuse to occur relatively easily compared to press conferences or separate interview occasions, so FIA should definitely be more reasonable with their approach.
I can think of quite a few post-special stage interviews over the years where certain types of language use occurred or emotions were shown to a relatively great extent, so nothing new either.
Wer
24th February 2025, 13:22
I want more honest emotions, more expressiveness, more swearing, MORE HUMANITY.
I despise tyranny, and unfortunately that’s what it is.
Craig
24th February 2025, 14:41
As much as I am against the FIA’s current antics I think we need to knock on the head the idea that you need to swear to show “emotions”, “expressiveness”, “humanity”, “personality” etc etc
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
24th February 2025, 21:28
I think the idea is that the option needed to be there. The choice of one word over another can speak volumes – and it speaks a lot more when both word choices are permitted.
colin
24th February 2025, 13:57
Can anyone name another sport where on-air swearing is as prevalent as F1?
WhatMyMammaSaid (@whatmymammasaid)
24th February 2025, 20:14
Checkers and chess for one, bloody splitters.
Or snooker for that matter, foul mouth lot that.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
24th February 2025, 21:36
If any other sport lasted as long per event and required so much on-air unfiltered speech, then it would have the same degree of swearing.
WEC was no cleaner back when I watched it and American sportscars were only cleaner because the teams themselves impose fines (independently of the regulatory bodies). Seven of the F1 teams can’t do much of that because UK companies can only impose £30 a week of fines and charges on staff.
Furthermore, I’ve been involved in disability swimming, dragon boat racing, running and karting. Despite swearing being technically a bannable offence in disability swimming, the power never got used and a fair bit of swearing did happen. Nonetheless, it was the only sport I’ve been in where I didn’t get funny looks for not swearing in-competition. Certainly it was the only one where I am reasonably confident swearing didn’t happen during the competition!
drmouse (@drmouse)
25th February 2025, 17:20
I don’t believe that most F1 drivers are actually considered staff. I may be wrong, but I was under the impression they were engaged as independent contractors. If that’s the case, any kind of penalty can be added to the contract.
baasbas
24th February 2025, 18:43
It’s a sign of the times.. Saying that, does that make me an old fart? Anyway, a lot of people seem to have lost track of this amazing concept called common sense…
Sure fine them if they curse at another driver or the marshals. And if they swear in every other sentence of an interview, talk to them in private and ask if they can please try to clean it up. But that is not the matter at all. It was just the occasional ‘dirty’ word. And it was directed not even at a person. And it is not even in Leclerc and Verstappen native language. Come on man.
And consider this: if you talk about F1 being global, why limit yourself to the standards of the most prude nations/cultures. A global average sense of what is acceptable should be the norm then.
It now is an issue because they made it an issue. If they actually cared about cleaning up language they could very easily (and maybe more effectively) have done that in private
S
25th February 2025, 1:04
That’d probably be ok if every viewer was an adult, but that’s obviously not the case.
The FIA doesn’t want to be seen to condone abusive, distasteful or disrespectful behaviour in front of minors or others offended by it. The lowest common denominator is typically where most standards aim for, anyway.
You say they could do it in private – but that’s exactly what they’ve been trying to do. As this is F1, and therefore basically everything is leaked/fed to and scrutinised by the media and public, it has become no longer just a private matter. The solution was not reached privately, and the issue has grown beyond sensible proportions because it has been released publicly.
Your opening statement references common sense – but isn’t it just common sense and basic decency to (at least try to) keep the swearing to an appropriate time and place?
And yes, Liberty/FOM is absolutely complicit in poorly judging what the correct time and place is as much as the drivers are. The FIA, however, are not the ones to blame here.
Nobody is trying to prevent the drivers swearing in private – but F1 is not private. It is a publicly accessible event, from start to finish.
drmouse (@drmouse)
25th February 2025, 17:25
I think, if you consider what the global average sense of what is acceptable to say in front of children, who are a strong target demographic of any sport to become the next generation of fans and participants, swearing would be unacceptable. Admittedly I don’t really watch any other sports often, but when I do it is very rare I hear swearing from the participants in interviews after the event.
Jay
25th February 2025, 1:47
What’s the swearing policy on this site? Emotions run high and people say all kinds of things but I’ve never seen a swear word. Keyboard warriors are athletes too!
Jay
25th February 2025, 1:48
I knew the site operators were trying to silence everyone! Probably fascist dictators even.
Jay
25th February 2025, 1:49
Oh its their site their rules? Funny that, ironic even.