Lewis Hamilton And Lando Norris Take A Stand After 'Joke' Max Verstappen Punishment

Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton publicly condemn the 'joke' punishment given to Max Verstappen by the FIA.

Pole position qualifier Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren, Second placed qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and Third placed qualifier Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes pose for a photo in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Singapore at Marina Bay Street Circuit on September 21, 2024 in Singapore, Singapore. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) / Red Bull Content Pool

McLaren driver Lando Norris and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton have openly criticized the punishment handed to Max Verstappen for swearing during the press conference on Thursday ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend.

Verstappen's use of inappropriate language led to an immediate backlash and subsequent punitive action from the FIA. The governing body deemed his words "coarse, rude," and "not suitable for broadcast," leading to a community service order for the reigning champion. The specifics of his offense fell under Article 12.2.1.k of the FIA International Sporting Code, which addresses misconduct through inappropriate language.

It is currently unclear what the 'community service' will specifically entail for the Red Bull driver, but Hamilton and Norris were clear in their responses to the punishment. When asked what his thoughts were on the three-time champion's punishment during the post-Qualifying press conference, Norris responded jokingly:

"Deserves it."

However, his tone quickly shifted to a more serious critique.

"I think it's pretty unfair."

Hamilton, taking a more straightforward approach, was unequivocal in his dismissal of the penalty's severity. He commented:

"It's a bit of a joke, mistakes are made. I certainly won't be doing it and I hope Max doesn't."

What do you think about Max being given community service? 👀

Lando: "Deserves it" 😂

"I think it's pretty unfair!"

Lewis: "It's a bit of a joke, mistakes are made. I certainly won't be doing it" 😅#SingaporeGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/IMrSNnIPQF

— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) September 21, 2024

This has come after FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem called for a clampdown on inappropriate language during the broadcast of F1. The FIA chief explained, as previously reported by Sports Illustrated:

“We have to differentiate between our sport – motorsport – and rap music.

“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]."

Ben Sulayem added:

“I know, I was a driver. In the heat of the moment, when you think you are upset because another driver came to you and pushed you…

"When I used to drive in the dust [and something like that happened], I would get upset. But also, we have to be careful with our conduct. We need to be responsible people.

“And now with the technology, everything is going live and everything is going to be recorded. At the end of the day, we have to study that to see: do we minimise what is being said publicly?

“Because imagine you are sitting with your children and watching the race and then someone is saying all of this dirty language.

“I mean, what would your children or grandchildren say? What would you teach them if that is your sport?”