Helmut Marko insists Max Verstappen’s warning about F1 future should be taken ‘seriously’ after FIA row in Singapore.
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Ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem stated there would be a clampdown on swearing in F1, specifically during driver radios that viewers can listen to throughout the race.
Sulayman said: “We have to differentiate between our sport — motorsport — and rap music.” This received a mixed response from the paddock with Lewis Hamilton Heading into Thursday’s media activities, Verstappen slipped in a swearing word during the FIA press conference, after the interview he was called to the stewards.
The Dutchman was then handed a community service penalty. Subsequently, Verstappen protested against the FIA on Saturday, refusing to answer questions in length and calling for journalists to meet him outside for a more in-depth interview.
Verstappen voices irritation
Verstappen had been vocal about his annoyance with the penalty and when asked if this could influence his future in F1, the three-time world champion responded:
“Oh, for sure.
“Yeah. I mean, these kinds of things definitely decide my future as well, when you can’t be yourself, or you have to deal with these kinds of silly things.
“I think now, I’m at the stage of my career that you don’t want to be dealing with this all the time. It’s really tiring, you know?”
Marko and Jos Verstappen adds in their two cents
After Verstappen’s words, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko stated that the Dutchman should be ‘taken seriously’ with his threats about his future.
“Max has to be taken seriously,” Marko said to Formel1.de.
“We spoke at length on the phone. Max has achieved a great deal, but it’s important for him to have fun and enjoy the whole sport. If that is increasingly spoilt for him, then his character is… If he says, ‘OK, that’s it’, then he means it. But I don’t hope that the current situation will really cause him to retire any time soon.”
After the Grand Prix weekend concluded, Jos Verstappen made his anger known about the penalty, stating to Autosport that he believes the penalty is ‘ridiculous’, however, the Dutchman noted that this isn’t out of the ordinary in motorsports:
“I think that is the most ridiculous thing,”
“But we also see it in rally,” Verstappen was referring to the Acropolic Rally, where eight-time WRC champion Sebastian Ogier was handed a €30,000 fine for making comments directed at officials of the rally in Greece.
“I don’t think the FIA is doing a very good job,”
“But I won’t say too much about this!” Jos Verstappen concluded.
Featured image credits: Kym Illman via Getty Images