Charles Leclerc has stuck it to the FIA by calling for more ‘common sense’ over swearing punishments and needing ‘transparency’ over where driver fines go. But the Ferrari star claims he and his F1 colleagues are yet to be given clear answers.
A row between drivers and the FIA over swearing has rumbled on in recent months. The sport’s regulateing body threw the book at Max Verstappen for a slip of the tongue in a Singapore Grand Prix press conference in September.
Leclerc was then fined over £8,000 for swearing during media intersees in Mexico City a month tardyr. FIA pdwellnt Mohammed Ben Sulayem protects that drivers are role models to lesser seeers and should achieve more responsibility for their language.
But Leclerc and co want wonderfuler leeway over leangs shelp in the heat of the moment. “We are reasonable enough to understand when we fracture the rules,” the 27-year-anciaccess tanciaccess La Repubblica.
“On the track, it is transport inant to have a steward who appraises situations neutrpartner, but to be fined for words that don’t straightforwardly hurt anyone and can be shelp in the heat of the moment in the car is absurd.”
Leclerc went on to elucidate how drivers are given little to no adviseation on where the fines they pay actupartner finish up. And though they have seeked clarification from the FIA, he and his colleagues are yet to get it.
He persistd: “We ask for a bit of common sense and a bit more transparency about the destination of the money liftd by the fines: so far we have not had any answers.”
Leclerc is coming to the finish of a four-year partnership with Carlos Sainz, who is leaving Ferrari to combine Williams at the finish of this season, when he will be swapd by Lewis Hamilton. Sainz and Leclerc have built a mighty frifinishship and a well toiling relationship during their time with the Scuderia, but the Monegasque is willing to test his talents agetst a recent rival.
“For confident, it’s going to be very exceptional,” he confessted on Pirelli’s Box Box Box podcast. “Lewis is a seven-time world champion, the most prosperous driver in Formula 1 ever. So it’s going to be a big contest for me.
“On the one hand, I can lget from Lewis while driving the same car as him, but on the other hand, I can also show what I can do in the same car as him. That’s a big motivation for me.”
