F1 News: Max Verstappen Opens Up On Serving FIA Community Service In Africa For Swearing On Camera
Max Verstappen has opened up on fulfilling his community service penalty in Africa, imposed by the FIA during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend. The four-time world champion participated in a grassroots development program organized by the Rwanda Automobile Club, inspiring young talent in motorsport. His service coincided with the FIA Annual Awards Ceremony held in Kigali on December 13, where he was handed the trophy for securing his fourth championship title.
During the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, Verstappen's frustration with his RB20 led to an expletive during a live broadcast, defying FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem's earlier warning against swearing. After the Abu Dhabi finale, the FIA announced Verstappen would fulfill his community service in Rwanda.
Verstappen took part in a grassroots development program designed to increase access and opportunities within motorsport, a prospect that impressed the Red Bull driver, especially after Rwanda entered a bid to bring back Formula 1 to Africa. He offered words of encouragement, emphasizing that anything is possible, and expressed his hope that in the coming years, more individuals would have the chance to enter the world of motorsports. He said:
"In the whole world, everything is getting more and more expensive, so the more you can build [motorsports] in your own country, the more you make it affordable for kids.
"I think it's great to have that possibility, and I hope it stimulates all these kids so that they want to be a racing driver, an engineer, in the future.
"It has massive potential and that is what I think everyone is working on... trying to make everyone very enthusiastic. It doesn't matter where in the world you come from, anything is possible.
"That's why I also think it's important that we're here. I'm very excited to see that hopefully in five to ten years, there are more people coming through [into motorsports]."
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem revealed Verstappen's surprising reaction when he was told that he would have to serve his one-day community service penalty in Rwanda's Kigali. He said:
“So I met him in Qatar and I said, ‘Max, don't worry. What you are going to do is you are going to encourage and inspire young girls and boys who want to go into motorsport'."
He added:
“He was so happy.
“I was a champion in my area in the Middle East for 20 years, but the people who made me are also the fans.
“And the fans don't come from far away, it's [not] only by the Internet and by social media. The fan is when you live [with] them, when you sit with them, when you feel them.
“So it is a big part of the duty that a champion, an ambassador has to give back to society. And what is better, when we talk about diversity, than him being here?
“He was so happy, so pleased. He was so happy that when he is here, he will sit with the upcoming kids, girls and boys to inspire them.”