Lando Norris says Formula 1 will lose the “rawness of drivers and their thoughts and feelings” if team radio swearing were to be clamped down upon, following comments on the matter by the FIA president.
In an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com, Mohammed Ben Sulayem revealed he has asked Formula One Management to minimise the amount of foul language being broadcast on F1’s television output.
He said this was to “differentiate between our sport – motorsport – and rap music”, with the issue then being put to the drivers themselves ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.
McLaren driver Norris and Red Bull’s world champion Max Verstappen both suggested that F1 choosing to not broadcast any messages that contain swearing would be a better solution from the drivers’ point of view, given the stresses they are under while racing F1 cars at speed.
But Norris feels F1 would lose out as a result, saying, in response to a question asked by Motorsport.com that the championship would lose the “rawness of drivers and their thoughts and their feelings and things like that” if messages containing swearing were never broadcast.
“And when I listen to it, I find it cool and I find it exciting when you listen to these kinds of things.
“It’s not just nice gentle soft language that people are using. So, I’m sure there’s plenty of other sports and things you can go watch if that’s what you want to hear.”
Norris also pointed out how F1 drivers are “just the guys in the heat of the moment, under stress, under pressure, fighting, having big crashes”.
“It’s just a lot easier for them to say than for us to do because we’re out there putting our hearts on the line on trying to race people and we’re giving it our all,” he added.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images
“Our heart rates are so high. We’re just putting our passion and our love into it. Of course, there’s going to be some bad words on the other side of it, but it’s just because we’re trying, we’re wanting to give our best and we feel hard done by when things don’t go right.
“And if it’s because of excitement and stuff, that’s because we’re happy for what goes into it.”
Verstappen, who swore during early in the FIA press conference on Thursday that meant host Tom Clarkson had to issue a swift apology, reckons the situation is “probably a bit the world that we live in” and called on F1’s stakeholders to take a common sense approach to the issue.
“I guess the world is changing a bit, but I guess it already starts with no broadcasting it,” he added. “Or, not giving the option for people to hear it in general. That would help a lot more than putting bans on drivers.
“Because, for example, I couldn’t even say the F-word and it’s not even that bad. ‘The car was not working, the car is Effed’ – and [it’s] ‘excuse me for the language’.
“But, come on. Like, what are we? Five-year-olds? Six-year-olds? Even if a five-year-old or six-year-old is watching, they will eventually swear anyway.
“Even if their parents will not allow it, when they grow up they will walk round with their friends and they will be swearing. This is not changing anything.”
Swearing on F1 team radio messages is already censored by FOM editors delaying their transmission on the main feed, filtering and choosing what is broadcast and covering any foul language.
It is understood that any messages where swearing has been broadcast have been the result of errors.
Additional reporting by Mark Mann-Bryans and Ben Hunt
