Max Verstappen has completed the ‘work of public interest’ ordered by the FIA after swearing in a televised press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix.
The Red Bull star and reigning world champion was penalised by the motorsports governing body after describing his car as ‘f***ed’ in an arena which restricts drivers from using foul language. FIA boss Mohammed Ben Sulayem decided to tie the community work in with the FIA Awards Ceremony 2024 in Rwanda tonight (Friday).
Before heading to the gathering in Kigali, Verstappen attended the grassroots development program of the Rwandan Automobile Club (RAC) – an organisation which seeks to create opportunities for youngsters to enter the world of motorsports.
Footage posted to social media shows Verstappen, standing alongside Ben Sulayem, addressing a crowd of people at an outdoor track after watching an activity involving an ‘FIA affordable cross car’, which was built by the RAC using FIA blueprints.
“In the whole world, everything is getting more and more expensive, so the more you can build [motorsports] in your own country, the more you make it affordable for kids,” he said. “I think it’s great to have that possibility, and I hope it stimulates all these kids so that they want to be a racing driver or an engineer in the future.
“It has massive potential and that is what I think everyone is working on trying to make everyone very enthusiastic. It doesn’t matter where in the world you come from, anything is possible.
“That’s why I also think it’s important that we’re here. I’m very excited to see that hopefully, in five to ten years, there are more people coming through [into motorsports].”
Verstappen’s kind words came two months after he described his unusual punishment – the specifics of which were undisclosed at the time – as ‘ridiculous’. The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association also wrote an open letter to the FIA asking to be treated like adults.
The trip to Rwanda is a celebratory one for Verstappen, who mathematically sealed his fourth consecutive Drivers’ Championship two races before the end of the 2024 season. Lando Norris – his nearest challenger – ended up 63 points adrift.
A fourth crown catapults Verstappen even further into the upper echelons of F1 greatness. Now level with Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost, only Juan Manuel Fangio, Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher have enjoyed more world title success than the Dutchman.
