• Loading stock data...
Sunday, August 24, 2025
The biggest names in sports media. All in one room. Buy tickets now!

F1 Drivers Annoyed by Boss’s Ask to Clean Up Dirty Words

  • FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said F1 hot mics are picking up too much profanity.
  • Several top drivers have criticized Ben Sulayem, with one citing a “racial element” to his comments.
Jun 8, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton (GBR) races during qualifying at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Formula One stars, including Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, Sergio Pérez, and Yuki Tsunoda, are pushing back against the head of the sport’s governing body over comments that drivers need to cut the profanity.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem told Motorsport.com that the sport, which allows fans to tune in to driver and team audios during a race, has too much profanity, even though swear words are bleeped out. He said he’s already asked Formula One Management to limit the amount of cursing that makes it onto the airwaves, especially in consideration of younger audiences as well as officials who receive online hate after negative comments made on a broadcast.

“I mean, we have to differentiate between our sport—motorsport—and rap music,” Ben Sulayem said. “We’re not rappers, you know. They say the F-word how many times per minute? We are not on that. That’s them and we are [us].”

Some drivers aren’t happy with Ben Sulayem’s comments, with several saying F1 could avoid the issue by not airing the explicit audio.

“A lot of people say a lot of bad things when they are full of adrenaline in other sports; it just doesn’t get picked up. Where here, probably also for entertainment purposes, things get sent out,” current leader Verstappen said. “I’m sure if you mic’d up in every other sport — in football, if you mic’d up every player, or basketball, whatever, they’re all swearing, I guess,” said Tsunoda, 12th in the rankings.

The up-close-and-personal access F1 gives its fans is part of why the sport has seen such global success. In particular, Netflix’s Drive to Survive series has contributed to F1’s explosion in popularity by placing athlete personalities at the forefront.

“I mean, they can just not play the radios, so it’s quite simple from their side,” said Norris, who is second behind Verstappen in the rankings. “We’re the guys in the heat of the moment, under stress, under pressure, fighting, having big crashes—it’s a lot easier for them to say than for us to do because we’re out there putting our hearts on the line trying to race people and we’re giving it our all.”

“I think if they want to control that they should just delete the radio—take away the radio and give us the privacy,” said Pérez, ranked eighth.

Hamilton, who said earlier this year that Ben Sulayem “never has” had his support, took issue with his boss’s contrast between drivers and rappers.

“With what he’s saying, I don’t like how he’s expressed it, saying that rappers is very stereotypical,” Hamilton said. “You think about most rappers are Black. That really kind of points it towards, when it says we’re not like them. So I think those are the wrong choice of words, there’s a racial element there.”

But unlike some of his competitors, Hamilton does agree the broadcasts need some “cleaning up a little bit.” He said he didn’t think about it as much when he was younger, but things have changed.

“It’s good to have some emotions. We’re not robots. And for me, the way I control it is because there’s like over 2,000 people that are working towards me having this position and being where I am,” Hamilton said. “I’ve got a lot of followers of all ages. It’s not about me. And even though I’m having this experience on-track, what I do and what I say affects all those people who are sacrificing time with their families, who are giving absolutely everything to have this privileged position and opportunity. I think it’s just understanding that, and putting the aggression somewhere else.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Bristol Rain Pushes MLB’s Ambitious Speedway Game to Sunday

MLB will look to replay the postponed game on Sunday afternoon.
Bristol Motor Speedway

MLB’s Long Road to Its Most Unusual Game Yet

The special-event game features a unique blending of baseball and racing.
IndyCar

Fox-IndyCar Deal Marks Yet Another Media Stake in Sports League

Broadcasters keep buying stakes in the leagues they cover and televise.

Featured Today

The Honey Deuce Effect: How Tennis Perfected the Signature Cocktail

Sold every 1.5 seconds, they total more than $12 million in sales.
Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up as the Texas Longhorns prepare to play the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.
August 23, 2025

Schools Are Hesitant to Allow PE Into Their Athletic Departments

Regardless of budget, schools don’t believe the risk is worth the reward.
Oct 2, 2024; Rosemont, IL, USA; Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks with the media during the 2024 Big Ten Women’s Basketball media day at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
August 22, 2025

‘Not Ready to Jump In’: Power 4 Commissioners Aren’t Sold on PE

Top leaders in college sports have yet to see a satisfactory proposal.
Nov 23, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks at quarterback Drew Allar (15) during the first quarter against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium.
August 22, 2025

Private Equity Enters College Sports—Without the Equity

As college football starts, lending agreements have become PE’s best way in.
Samuel Basallo

Orioles Give Catcher Record Extension Amid Adley Rutschman’s Stunning Fall

Samuel Basallo’s reported $67M deal would be a record for pre-arbitration catchers.
August 20, 2025

Tony Hawk Finds His Enduring Fame ‘Baffling’

The skateboarder said it’s “still kind of a shock” to be recognized.
Aug 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) celebrates in the second half as LA Sparks guard Rae Burrell (12) watches at Crypto.com Arena.
August 21, 2025

Paige Bueckers Wowing Crowds, Selling Jerseys Despite Wings Losses

Bueckers is second in youth jersey sales.
Sponsored

Building A Pro League From Scratch

Front Office Sports and Gainbridge® spotlight what it takes to build a professional women’s soccer league.
August 20, 2025

Struggling Kyle Tucker Benched Shortly After $600M Contract Buzz

The Cubs take action with their star outfielder ahead of his free agency.
August 20, 2025

Sophie Cunningham Receives 3rd WNBA Fine for Criticizing Refs

This is Cunningham’s third fine in about a month.
Daniel Jones
August 20, 2025

Vikings Set to Benefit from Colts Making Daniel Jones Starter

Jones never played a snap for Minnesota.
Aug 17, 2025; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles (31) and Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) work for the ball in the first half at Mohegan Sun Arena.
August 19, 2025

Sophie Cunningham’s Torn MCL Yet Another Fever Setback

The Fever guard is out for the remainder of the season.