Charles Leclerc has to pay a fine. © APA/afp / YURI CORTEZ

10.000 euros for a wrong word: Leclerc has to pay

Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc has to answer for swearing in an official press conference of the racing series.

02 November 2024

From: apa/sn

The English F-word is costing the 27-year-old Monegasque dearly: While world champion Max Verstappen from Red Bull was sentenced to community service for using the same rude four-letter expression, the regulators in São Paulo have now imposed a fine of 10.000 euros on the Ferrari driver. Half of this was suspended for twelve months.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) must ensure that statements made in public - for example at press conferences - meet generally accepted standards for all listeners and broadcasters, the race commissioners said in their statement. This applies in particular to statements made by World Championship participants, who have a role model function both within and outside the sport.

It happened after a braking error in the last corner

The fact that Leclerc immediately apologized in the press conference after the Mexico race at least had a mitigating effect on his sentence. The race stewards made it clear that his violation was not as serious as the most recent case - which obviously referred to Verstappen's faux pas.

Leclerc had let himself be carried away by the curse after his third place in Mexico City when he spoke about a scene in which he had braked too late in the last corner of the race and had to let Lando Norris overtake him in the McLaren. "Oh, I'm sorry," he had immediately admitted - and added with a laugh, referring to the penalty for Verstappen in Singapore: "I don't want to join Max."