Terse Max Verstappen snubs FIA after swearing penalty

Red Bull's championship leader has been ordered by FIA stewards to do the sport's equivalent of community service after he swore in an official press conference on Thursday.

Verstappen spoke to the crowd and broadcasters after qualifying second for Sunday's race but developed a sudden reticence in the FIA press conference with the top three drivers.

Asked what he had changed overnight with the car, Verstappen replied simply "a lot".

Asked to elaborate, he added: "No, I might get fined or get an extra day."

A follow-up on whether he was confident with the race pace elicited a "maybe" reply, while he responded to a question about the race being a step into the unknown by saying "it's an unknown. Yeah".

"I will find out tomorrow," he said when asked about his race tactics.

The triple world champion then told a reporter he would prefer for the questions to be asked outside the room, giving a thumbs-up sign when asked as a follow-up if he would talk somewhere else.

A further question about the possibility of his behaviour triggering another penalty, and possibly more community service, met a terse "no comment".

"I'm answering. Just not a lot," Verstappen said in reply to a subsequent enquiry about how long he planned not to give answers in the FIA press conferences. "Problem with my voice."

McLaren's Lando Norris, who qualified on pole position, joked initially that Verstappen deserved the punishment but then made clear he backed his friend and rival.

"I think it's pretty unfair. I don't agree with any of it," he said.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton agreed, saying: "I think it's a bit of a joke, to be honest. This is the pinnacle of the sport. Mistakes are made. I certainly wouldn’t be doing it (community service), and I hope Max doesn't do it," he added.

Speaking to Sky Sports television later, Verstappen said the penalty was ridiculous for what he defined as "a slip of the tongue moment" but did not blame the stewards.

"I actually had a great chat with them about it. They are very understanding but it’s in the rules and they have to apply something. But for me, it’s not the right way to go forward in our sport," he said.

The FIA has clamped down on such incidents since Emirati Mohammed Ben Sulayem took charge at the end of 2021.

Ben Sulayem said earlier in the week that drivers were not rappers, the comments particularly riling Hamilton, the sport's only Black driver, who criticised what he saw as a racial element.