Lewis Hamilton and George Russell blast FIA president’s swearing ban U-turn
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have questioned the FIA and its saga over swearing punishments
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Peter Fox / Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton has piled into the FIA president’s decision to row back on his swearing ban - saying the whole “ridiculous” situation is “a mess”.
Meanwhile, George Russell said Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s plans to climb down on its previous stance on punishing drivers seemed "all a bit suspect".
It comes after Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, revised penalties for drivers for swearing amid a backlash.
Under the original plans, F1 drivers could be fined €40,000 (£33,700) for a first offence, and double that - plus a ban for a second offence. However, that has now been reduced to €5,000 (£4,200) while the threat of a ban has been removed.
Hamilton was asked about the decision to backtrack ahead of the Imola Grand Prix and said: “It is ridiculous. I don't really know. Nothing I say is going to make any difference to it. It seems a bit of a mess there at the moment.
“There are lots of changes that are needed, for sure. But it doesn't really affect me. I don't see what's happened since then.”
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes, Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Meanwhile, Russell, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, said: "We're talking about a situation where things have been reverted because it was a little bit ludicrous in the first place.
"Of course we're happy to see that it [has been changed], but it should never have been there in the first place, if that makes sense.
"So it feels a bit wrong to be thanking [the FIA] for the changes when we shouldn't have been in that place to begin with.
"We've still had no correspondence with anyone from the senior level at the FIA. So yeah, it's all a bit suspect."
Russell was asked why he thought the drivers had not been spoken to directly by Ben Sulayem.
He added: "That's a good question. It seems more challenging than it should be really, but we've all put our views forward.
"I wouldn't say it's gotten to a point of no return, but you at least want to see willingness from the other party.
"I think we feel we've put our views forward, and we want to have conversations and dialogue, and there's only so much you can ask."
Photos from Emilia Romagna GP - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Thursday
Share Or Save This Story
How Jonathan Wheatley wants Sauber to use F1 podium momentum in Audi transformation
How Christian Horner’s Red Bull exit mirrored his F1 arrival and why he will be missed
Keanu Reeves to star in new Cadillac F1 team documentary
How Antonelli became F1's youngest-ever polesitter
Toto Wolff's 'Lewis Hamilton's still our driver' comment melts F1 fans after Mercedes 1-2 in China
Lewis Hamilton crowned "worthy successor to Inspector Seb" after viral Mercedes moment
Ferrari’s 2026 leap gives Fred Vasseur "breathing room", says Ralf Schumacher
Why Ferrari is fighting F1 start rule changes – and can they still lose?
Ferrari’s last front-engined winner
Why Isack Hadjar rejected Kimi Antonelli's apology after the Shanghai F1 sprint race
Kyle Larson wins NASCAR O'Reilly race at Las Vegas, extending JRM streak
F1 teams face unexpected fallout after Bahrain and Saudi GPs are cancelled
Scott McLaughlin faces tough drive from last after Arlington qualifying crash
How Antonelli became F1's youngest-ever polesitter
What we learned from the 2026 F1 Chinese GP sprint race and qualifying
Following Verstappen’s path? The one lesson Antonelli must learn for an F1 title fight
What's next for Aston Martin and Honda after torrid start to F1 2026?
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments