FIA Hands Out First Fine for Swearing as 2025 F1 Season Approaches

Alex Harrington | Feb 16, 2025

May 8, 2022; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Dan Marino and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem applaud during the award ceremony following the Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

The FIA has issued its first fine for language misconduct during a motorsport event, confirming to what level it will uphold this new rule as the 2025 Formula 1 season approaches. This action was taken at the 2025 Rally Sweden, where Adrien Fourmaux, a driver for the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team, faced repercussions for using inappropriate language.

Following the SS18 Umeå Power Stage, Fourmaux was interviewed on Rally.TV, where the incident took place on February 16, 2025.  

The fine was imposed under Article 12.2.1.l of the 2025 FIA International Sporting Code, which governs inappropriate language and behavior during FIA-sanctioned events. This comes after both Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were handed fines and punishments for swearing during the 2024 F1 season.

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In terms of regulatory penalties, the FIA's 2025 ISC outlines specific consequences for language misconduct, using a tiered approach. A first offense results in a €10,000 fine, with escalating penalties for further violations. A second offense sees the fine doubled to €20,000, along with a possible one-month suspension. A third offense incurs a €30,000 fine and an active suspension, with potential deductions in championship points. These rules apply across all FIA events, granting stewards discretion in penalties, and multiply depending on what racing league it occurred in.

For example, an F1 driver sees this multiplied by four.

Adrien Fourmaux's fine included a primary €10,000 penalty, with an additional €20,000 suspended until February 16, 2026, contingent upon no further breaches of the Article. Fines are required to be settled within 48 hours to prevent suspension. The decision was based on video review and testimonies after Fourmaux expressed frustration with, "…we f***ed up yesterday," following the stage. Despite a prompt apology from Rally.TV's commentator during the live broadcast, the FIA upheld the conduct code's violation.  

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The Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team has not publicly commented.

Taking with media during the Williams car test earlier this week, including F1 on SI, Carlos Sainz gave his opinion on the new rule:

“My thoughts are that F1 drivers should be controlled enough doing press conferences and media appearances to not swear.

“And I am in favour of us, as a group, making an effort when all the kids are watching us in a press conference or in front of the media to at least have good behaviour and decent vocabulary. I think that’s not very difficult.

“So do we need fines or do we need to be controlled for that? I don’t know, but I’m in favour of always being well-spoken and well-mannered in front of microphones and in front of media.”

For the latest F1 news, head over to F1 on SI.