Like all motor racings sports Formula One has a strict set of rules for drivers, crew members, and anyone involved in the sport.  The F1 rulebook includes rules prohibiting profanity, including a “swear jar”.

However, the drivers are beginning to strike back against those rules. 

After some recent controversy, the drivers wrote an open letter to the sanctioning body FIA stating that they should be “treated like adults”.

There is a growing unease between the Grand Priz Drivers’ Association and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

During a press conference ins Singapore, reigning world champion Max Verstappen stated that his car was “a bit f****d”.  He was ordered to serve a day of community service for the “infraction”.

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari was given a €10,000 fine when he dropped an F-bomb by accident in describing how he narrowly missed a big crash in Mexico.

The GPDA addressed the “driver misconduct” noting, its members understood a referee’s call must be accepted in sport;” adding that there were better ways to address some of the topics.

In part the letter state, “with regards to swearing, there is a difference between swearing intended to insult others and more casual swearing, such as you might us to describe bad weather, or indeed an inanimate object such as a Formula One car, or a driving situation.”

Ben Sulayem has become frustrated over the amount of profanity the drivers used noting, “we’re not rappers, you know,” Ben Sulayem said. “They say the f-word how many times per minute?”

Seven time world champion driver Lewis Hamilton was less than impressed with the remark saying that it was “very stereotypical” and contained a “racial element”.

The GPDA also said: “Further, our members are adults, they do not need to be given instructions via the media, about matters as trivial as the wearing of jewelry and underpants.”  Hamilton was the subject of a ruling over his wearing earrings and a nose stud during a race.

In NASCAR any money collected from a fine is donated to charitable endeavours via The NASCAR Foundation.  In F1 the money is distributed differently.

Speaking on those fines, the GPDA said via the open letter, “the GPDA has, on countless occasions, expressed its view that driver monetary fines are not appropriate for our sport.  For the past three years, we have called upon the FIA president to share the details and strategy regarding how the FIA’s financial fines are allocated and where the funds are spent.

They added, “we have also relayed our concurs about the negative image financial fines bring to the sport. We once again request that the FIA president provides financial transparency and direct, open dialogue with us. All stakeholders (FIA, F1, the teams and the GPDA) should jointly determine how and where the money is spent for the benefit of our sport.  The GPDA wishes to collaborate in a constructive way with all the stakeholders, including the FIA president, in order to promote our great sport for the benefit of everyone who works in it, pays for it, watches it, and indeed loves it. We are playing our part.”