Charles Leclerc has been fined €10,000 (£8,400), half of which is suspended, for swearing in a press conference after last week’s Mexican Grand Prix.
The Ferrari man went off the track during battle with Lando Norris in a very scary moment, only to showcase some expert driving to recover from an oversteer and not end up in the barriers at high speed.
“I had one oversteer and then when I recovered from that oversteer, I had an oversteer from the other side and then I was like, ‘f***’,” Leclerc said as he reflected on the incident in an FIA press conference.
He quickly realised that he might receive a Formula One community service punishment, similar to Max Verstappen, after the Red Bull man was the first victim of the governing body’s clampdown on foul language.
“Oh, sorry! Oh no, I don’t want to join Max,” Leclerc laughed. But he was summoned to the stewards in Brazil and would have been fearing the worst, only to end up with a monetary punishment rather than community service.
Leclerc’s apologetic nature and realisation that he was in the wrong, a direct contrast to Verstappen’s reaction, ensured that he was given a different punishment to his rival.
The FIA’s statement explained: “Leclerc used coarse language being the accurate recollection of what he thought to himself at the time. Leclerc immediately realised his error and apologised. Such language is not considered suitable for broadcast.
“During the hearing Leclerc expressed his regret for his momentary lack of judgment and shared that he understood his responsibility as a role model for the sport. The stewards considered the mitigation factor that Leclerc was immediately apologetic.
“The stewards while noting that the driver’s contrite behaviour conclude that a breach has occurred and a penalty is warranted. The stewards do not consider that this breach reached the same level as the most recent case and as such chose to levy a fine of €10,000 (£8,400) with €5,000 (£4,200) suspended pending no repeat within 12 months.”
The fine is confirmation that Verstappen will have to serve his community service by himself, as the only driver to have been given that punishment in the history of the sport.
And he has been ordered to complete community service on two occasions, the first in 2018 when he was penalised for shoving Esteban Ocon in parc ferme at the Brazilian GP.
The following season he joined F1 stewards in Marrakesh for a Formula E race. He witnessed their process in order to gain a greater understanding of the work that they do, while also joining a meeting of the FIA’s International Stewards Programme.
