The FIA has drastically revised its penalties for misconduct which drivers criticised following their introduction four months ago.
Significantly, the sport’s governing body has halved the baseline fee for swearing to €5,000 (£4,200). It has also cut the ‘multiplier’ imposed on fines applied to F1 drivers from four to a maximum of three, meaning the highest possible fine they face for a first offence has fallen from €40,000 to €15,000.The application of fines for swearing was a significant bone of contention for many drivers, who urged FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to abolish them entirely. World Rally Championship driver Adrien Fourmaux was fined €30,000, of which €20,000 was suspended, for swearing in an interview during a round of the series earlier this year. However Formula 1 stewards chose not to fine Carlos Sainz Jnr when he swore during a press conference in Bahrain last month, after he apologised.
The FIA’s revised guidelines no longer specify escalating penalties for repeated breaches. However the sport’s governing body has toughened up other penalties for breaches of its misconduct rules. The “making and display of political, religious and personal statements or comments” can now attract an immediate penalty of €20,000, twice what it was before.
Any driver found to have committed “misconduct involving the abuse of officials” will receive a sporting penalty. In F1 this is likely to involve a three-place grid drop or five-second time penalty depending on when the infringement occurs.
The penalties will chiefly apply to offences which occur in what the FIA defines as a “controlled environment”, which includes “media conferences, interviews and podiums, and in rallies, the ceremonial start and service park.” Offences committed elsewhere “may be treated as private conversations,” the FIA stated, “except where multiple breaches occur within a short period of time, involve racial or discriminatory language, or include abuse of officials.”
The FIA defines non-controlled environments as including “radio transmissions between car and team, recordings made while on circuit, on a rally stage, or on a rally road section, as well as at the end of a rally stage” as well as “recordings made outside of controlled environments, particularly where the person recorded may not be aware they are being recorded.”
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Ben Sulayem, who indicated the change was coming in a social media post two weeks ago, called the revisions an “improvement” to the existing rules.
“As a former rally driver, I know first-hand the range of emotions that are faced during competition,” he said. “I have led an extensive and collaborative review with contributions from across the seven FIA World Championships, FIA Member Clubs and other motorsports organisations.
“The improvements the FIA has announced today to Appendix B will ensure we continue to promote the best of sportsmanship in motorsport, while also giving Stewards effective guidelines to act against individuals who may bring the sport into disrepute. The FIA will always be committed to ensuring motorsport is accessible for all our sporting family.”
The changes have been made to Appendix B of the International Sporting Code and came into effect today.
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Jere (@jerejj)
14th May 2025, 16:19
He was willing to accept at least some compromises for F1 as well.
S Arkazam
14th May 2025, 18:46
Still less than reducing tariffs from 145% to 30%.
Not sure if reducing from outrageous to ridiculous, that one can call it a ‘compromise’.
Or you might ask your boss for a 1M monthly salary increase and ‘compromise’ for 100K. See how that works out for you ;)
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
14th May 2025, 19:17
We’re however talking about f1, numbers are far higher there, and 15k can be considered pocket money, so it’s not a fair comparison to take a middle class citizen as an example and bring up a 100k salary.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
15th May 2025, 6:18
Truly Trumpian indeed. The people at the top of the power structures these days have their heads completely lodged up their own dark spaces.
verstappen (@verstappen)
14th May 2025, 17:13
So we won’t see Gasly praying anymore?
Coventry Climax
15th May 2025, 1:06
Oh yes, but he’ll be directed east everytime.
SteveP
15th May 2025, 6:26
Not sure that works in Australia, Japan, China… :)
Unless you’re looking for the long route.
Jack (@jt1234)
14th May 2025, 19:10
Sounds like he’s worried about his job. Go Carlos snr.
M2X
14th May 2025, 19:59
Simply not enough and therefore too little too late.
falken (@falken)
14th May 2025, 20:04
““making and display of political, religious and personal statements or comments””
So that’s HAM’s tats done for then ?
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
14th May 2025, 20:44
The “making and display of political, religious and personal statements or comments” can now attract an immediate penalty of €20,000, twice what it was before.
Lewis is just ‘rising’. What are ‘personal statements or comments‘?
Whats the point of interviewing anyone if they can’t venture into a personal comment? There are far bigger issues in the world, but the way the FIA have handled this has been very rubbish. They could have just stood up at a driver’s briefing at any round and said ‘look guys, this is broadcast around the world at different times to different ages and different cultures, can you please be mindful of your language‘. And I’m sure every driver would’ve agreed no problem.
mediaAreOppr
16th May 2025, 14:20
@bernasaurus
He has a huge Christian cross below the text ‘Still I rise.’ He also has various Christian symbols and texts on his arms.
Dex
14th May 2025, 23:38
So being a person is outlawed.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
15th May 2025, 6:19
Rise of the Machines baby !
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
15th May 2025, 6:21
The hook is most people didn’t think AI would be programming them. Next phase is hacking the genome, and hormone manipulation.
The Dolphins
14th May 2025, 20:09
I think the FIA is ready for a change in leadership, there are bigger fish to fry than imposing fines for potty mouth and MBS is missing the point of his role.
Coventry Climax
15th May 2025, 1:12
But he’s just announced a change in the rules to candidate oneself, effectively eliminating opposition.
Makes sense, that’s what all ‘leaders’ do these days, and have been doing for ages already in the part of the world he comes from.
James Supercave
14th May 2025, 23:49
How about they tell us where the money is going finally?
SteveP
15th May 2025, 6:32
You don’t want the easy stuff, do you?
I mean, it’s not as though he promised transparency in his last electioneering, is it?
Ah, yes…
Mooa42
15th May 2025, 1:00
This is a bit concerning, does that mean drivers can’t comment on women in motorsport in certain countries, or talk about them fearing for their lives in certain countries, or even respond to questions about their opinions on anything other than motorsport?
Seems very draconian.
Coventry Climax
15th May 2025, 1:04
There’s only one F1 official that this ‘officials abuse’ rule really applies to, and that’s MBS himself.
‘Best FiA presidency ever.’ Sounds familiar?
SteveP
15th May 2025, 6:35
You could have made the statement more bigly.
Carsten Nielsen (@carstenb)
15th May 2025, 13:30
Covfefe
Electroball76
15th May 2025, 7:52
Fuschl’s sake! a bunch of Muddy,chuckling Bulls Sit ..
I mean that’s just lovely!
HW Small
15th May 2025, 11:56
Motorsport is not the place for MBS to apply his (put mildly) conservative views. Time for him to go.
Leroy (@g-funk)
15th May 2025, 13:33
If the FIA can reduce the fines, they can also increase the fines when the like (maybe after an upcoming election?) The points should be:
Transparency about where all the fine money is going
Get rid of the fine for swearing completely. Lowering the amount is just a test of the drivers’ principles. Do they care about the money or about speech?