‘We’re Not Rappers:’ F1 Drivers Told To Quit Swearing Over Team Radio

Formula 1’s broadcast features all kinds of graphics, animations and explainers to keep viewers engaged and up to date when they’re watching a race from anywhere in the world. But while all the commentary is exciting enough, the real highlight of F1 coverage comes when we can hear what the drivers really think over team radio. However, the language of some drivers has irked FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who’s calling for an end to swearing over team radio.

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Mohammed Ben Sulayem: the fun police. Photo: Bryn Lennon – Formula 1 (Getty Images)

In Formula 1’s broadcast, team radio snippets offer an insight into a driver’s instant reaction to a rogue move, stunning overtake or penalty imposed by the stewards. However, while we all like hearing drivers celebrating race wins over the radio, some have a habit of using some pretty nasty language in response to racing incidents.

That foul language has gotten under the skin of the FIA president, who’s likened the language of some drivers to rappers who “say the F-word how many times per minute,” reports Motorsport.com. In an interview with the site, Ben Sulayem called on Formula 1 drivers up and down the grid to try and clean up their language on team radio, as the site reports:

“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 minimize 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?”

Language, Toto! Photo: Andrej Isakovic – Pool (Getty Images)

Ben Sulayem also said that more should be done on Formula 1’s end to limit the outbursts from making it onto the broadcasts. He told the site that while it was the FIA that initially called for more team radio broadcasts, his team is now looking into ways to limit the broadcast of team radio containing bad language.

The FIA boss said that the sport has rules in place and “the rules are there to be policed and to be respected,” in his interview with Motorsport.com. The comments echoed a social media post Ben Sulayem made over the summer calling for tighter definitions of what constitutes “misconduct” in Formula 1. As Motorsport.com reports:

Ben Sulayem made his comment about drivers not being rappers after he was asked about a statement he posted on his personal Instagram account over the summer break, mentioning a change in FIA’s International Sporting Code regarding the definition of the word ‘misconduct’.

“As part of our ongoing fight against online abuse, recent investigations have shown that there is a direct link between negative comments from drivers and team members and increased hate directed towards officials on social media”, the statement read.

“At the last World Motor Sport Council, members approved a change to the definition of misconduct within the ISC following incidents in which high-profile members of our sport have made statements towards officials that incite abuse.”

This isn’t the first time Ben Sulayem has looked to tighten the rules around what F1 drivers can say and do. He previously made attempts to tighten up clothing regulations that require drivers to keep their teamware on while celebrating on the podium, and made a commitment to remove jewelry from drivers while they race.

Both endeavors met backlash from F1’s most successful racer, Lewis Hamilton, who previously wore t-shirts on the podium to highlight political issues around the world.