FIA modifies driver swearing penalties

The FIA has announced a number of changes to the International Sporting Code (ISC) that relates to drive conduct, reducing the base levels of fines and isolating when swearing is likely to be punished.

A January update to Appendix B of the ISC had drawn criticism from drivers in multiple disciplines due to the amount they could be fined for misconduct - including swearing - and “Any words, deeds or writings that have caused moral injury or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members or its executive officers, and more generally on the interest of motor sport and on the values defended by the FIA.”

The base level fine for the first offense started at €10,000 ($11,200), rising to €20,000 ($22,400) and €30,000 ($33,600) respectively for each subsequent incident, with F1 drivers seeing those fines multiplied by four, and other world championship drivers facing a multiple of three.

After the drivers voiced their dissent at both the amounts and when they could be penalized, the FIA says an extensive review has been carried out at the request of Mohammed Ben Sulayem that has seen what it describes as “major improvements” made. The states these include:

• The base maximum penalty has been reduced generally from €10,000 to €5,000. This is a reduction of 50%.  However, for FIA World Championships, where multipliers were involved, the reductions will be even more significant.
• Stewards will have the option to fully suspend a penalty for certain types of breach, provided it is the first offense by the driver or team
• Following approval via e-vote by the WMSC, the amended Appendix B will allow stewards to differentiate between controlled and non-controlled environments, effectively recognizing the difference between language used in “uncontrolled” and “controlled” environments. Controlled environments include settings such as press conferences, while uncontrolled environments refer to spontaneous comments made by drivers or teams when on track or during a rally stage
• Mitigating circumstances will continue to be considered, with additional guidance available to promote consistency and fairness for all parties in the application of Appendix B
• Abuse of officials will now result in sporting penalties rather than fines, aligning motor sport with other major global sports organizations
• Racial and discriminatory comments will continue to be addressed firmly

“As a former rally driver, I know firsthand the range of emotions that are faced during competition,” Ben Sulayem said. “I have led an extensive and collaborative review with contributions from across the seven FIA world championships, FIA member clubs and other motor sports organizations.

“The improvements the FIA has announced today to Appendix B will ensure we continue to promote the best of sportsmanship in motor sport, while also giving Stewards effective guidelines to act against individuals who may bring the sport into disrepute. The FIA will always be committed to ensuring motorsport is accessible for all our sporting family.”

The review was carried out in collaboration with the FIA’s Drivers’ Committee and its president Ronan Morgan, as well as with input from F1 stewards, represented by Garry Connolly. 

“I would like to thank the FIA president for his leadership with initiating the review of Appendix B,” Connolly said. “The revised version will ensure that stewards have effective guidance in place to help them differentiate between on- and off-track issues.

“I am pleased that stewards will continue to maintain the full discretion to consider any mitigating factors to ensure that a penalty is applied fairly to a specific situation, in particular to take into account the circumstances of the driver concerned. These changes will ensure motor sport can be enjoyed by fans of all ages and will continue all our collective efforts to grow the sport globally.”