Max Verstappen: Red Bull driver to serve FIA ‘public interest’ punishment in Africa next week

Max Verstappen will serve his community service in Rwanda after he swore during a press conference in Singapore; Verstappen staged a remarkable protest against the decision during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, where he refused to give long answers in the FIA press conferences

Max Verstappen will serve his community service punishment for swearing in an FIA press conference in Rwanda, where Formula 1’s governing body is staging its end-of-season awards this coming week.

Verstappen will be officially crowned 2024’s world champion on Friday night at the FIA’s annual awards ceremony, which this year is being staged in Africa for the first time at an event in the Rwandan capital of Kigali – and will undertake some work with junior racing drivers as part of his visit.

The Red Bull driver was handed F1’s equivalent of community service at September’s Singapore Grand Prix after he used an expletive in the Thursday press conference to describe his Red Bull car’s performance at the previous event.

Stewards at the event said that while Verstappen’s language was considered to be “coarse, rude” and “may cause offense”, it was noted that his words were not directed at any individual or group.

However, the ruling added that “as this topic has been raised before and is well known by the competitors”, Verstappen was being handed “a greater penalty” than previously meted out in other similar circumstances and that the Dutchman would be “obliged to accomplish some work of public interest”.

An FIA statement said: “The FIA has announced the details of Max Verstappen’s ‘work of public interest’ duty linked to the Stewards’ penalty for the use of unacceptable language during the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix drivers’ press conference.

“Verstappen will travel to the FIA Awards Ceremony which takes place as part of the General Assemblies next week in Kigali, Rwanda to collect his fourth consecutive FIA Formula One World Championship trophy.