Lewis Hamilton has slammed the FIA’s decision to punish Max Verstappen for swearing as a “joke” after the Red Bull driver kept his answers short and sweet following Singapore Grand Prix qualifying.
And he has advised his F1 2021 title rival to refuse to serve his punishment, claiming “I certainly wouldn’t be doing it.”
Max Verstappen has received support following his punishment from the FIA for swearing during a press conference.
Lewis Hamilton has labelled Max Verstappen’s penalty for swearing in an FIA press conference as “a joke”.
During the Thursday press conference in Singapore, Verstappen was asked about the behaviour of his Red Bull challenger in Azerbaijan and stated he “knew the car was fucked” at the very beginning of qualifying.
The FIA took issue with the incident and subsequently punished the three-time world champion for breaching the International Sporting Code.
It outlined that Verstappen must effectively serve community service as the punishment detailed he holds an “obligation to accomplish some work of public interest”.
During the FIA press conference on Saturday after qualifying, Verstappen refused to answer questions and insisted he would instead talk to the media outside of the room.
Lando Norris and Hamilton, who ended qualifying in first and third respectively, were asked about Verstappen’s punishment after the session.
“I find the situation to be inequitable and do not endorse any aspect of it,” Norris expressed to members of the media, including RacingNews365. Hamilton criticized the penalty and urged Verstappen to refuse to accept it.
The seven-time world champion expressed his opinion by stating, “I believe it is somewhat of a mockery, to be frank.”
This represents the ultimate level of the sport where errors can occur.
Personally, I would not engage in such behavior and I trust that Max will avoid it as well.”