Grand Prix Drivers Association

[Supersam83]

The GPDA has just released this joint statement:



Also, they have set up an Instagram account @grandprixdriversassociation

Looks like they are gunning for the FIA president and are not happy

[BrettMRC]

I don't blame them, it's turning into a circus.

[Dbag101]

I can’t say I blame them. An off the cuff ‘FFS’ or ‘WTF’ in a heated moment, isn’t worthy of the hissy fits being thrown by the maFIA, at present. It’s not like anyone has gone for a full “your mother cooks socks in hell” or anything, aimed at anyone in particular ( yet ).

[WPA]

Needed to be be said, fair play to them and will be interesting to see if anything changes going forwards.

[Muzzer79]

I seem to be in a minority regarding the swearing thing.

In the car, there is a time delay so it can be bleeped out. No issue there.

But in a live press conference I think they should absolutely not be able to swear - whether they are describing a person or an "inanimate object"

Do we think it's OK to have kids watching a press conference to hear Verstappen describing his car as "fked" or LeClerc using similar language?

I can't think of another sport where this is OK so why would it be in F1?

[Supersam83]

Lewis Hamilton you can tell has contributed to the wearing jewellery line but who has added about the underpants?

[vaud]

Muzzer79 said:

I seem to be in a minority regarding the swearing thing.

In the car, there is a time delay so it can be bleeped out. No issue there.

But in a live press conference I think they should absolutely not be able to swear - whether they are describing a person or an "inanimate object"

Do we think it's OK to have kids watching a press conference to hear Verstappen describing his car as "fked" or LeClerc using similar language?

I can't think of another sport where this is OK so why would it be in F1?

To your point a press conference doesn’t have to be live.

The interviews and cooldown room after the race should probably be live but a 15 sec delay isn’t going to hurt coverage.

[fttm]

Supersam83 said:

Lewis Hamilton you can tell has contributed to the wearing jewellery line but who has added about the underpants?

Wasn't that Seb Vettel a few years back , turned up at the following race wearing his cacks outside his race suit to make a point of the situation.

[rev-erend]

Supersam83 said:

Lewis Hamilton you can tell has contributed to the wearing jewellery line but who has added about the underpants?

Stroll's driving is pants or is that not the same thing..

[StevieBee]

This is all a bit silly, isn't!

[vaud]

Muzzer79 said:

I
I can't think of another sport where this is OK so why would it be in F1?

Most sports don't have every participant on a mic and have every single moment recorded.

Swearing happens in other sports:

https://www.bunkered.co.uk/golf-news/sky-sports-co...
https://www.redditchadvertiser.co.uk/sport/nationa...

The key for the UK is Ofcom don't like it so the broadcaster has to apologise, and edit it from repeats.

[Maxdecel]

Muzzer79 said:

I seem to be in a minority regarding the swearing thing.

In the car, there is a time delay so it can be bleeped out. No issue there.

But in a live press conference I think they should absolutely not be able to swear - whether they are describing a person or an "inanimate object"

Do we think it's OK to have kids watching a press conference to hear Verstappen describing his car as "fked" or LeClerc using similar language?

I can't think of another sport where this is OK so why would it be in F1?

MV Has ruled on that - "Then you hear comments, 'yeah, but you don't want kids seeing that'.

"Well, when I was five years old I never watched a press conference in my life anyway.

"And I think at school you have said way worse things than that, because you grow up with kids and you're a bit of a rebel. So you always say bad stuff, that's just how life is. That you want to set an example, I mean, yeah sure, but I don't think that they should make such a big deal out of it."

[Rotary Potato]

It felt like it needed to be said. We actually have a grid full of characters at the moment, when not that long ago it seemed like every driver was an emotionless, humorless PR robot that did nothing but repeat the corporate line in interviews.

The odd swear word slipping out is no big deal (IMHO). Making a big song and dance about it - like the FIA have done recently - just highlights it even further, and regresses all that progress about making the drivers individual characters. If every other word out of their mouths needs beeping, then there's a problem and something needs to be done to get them to wind it back a little ... but we're a long way from that.

Back in the olden days, when British domestic racing was the place to get noticed by F1 teams, a lot of foreign drivers would come over and had their English 'improved' by their race team mechanics, engineers and truckies. I bet this education included a few bits of Anglo-Saxon that wouldn't be approved of by the current FIA. I have no idea whether the same still applies, but I feel anyone talking in their second (or third, or more ...) language should be cut some slack, especially if the adrenaline is still up during/shortly after driving the car.

At the end of the day these are adults taking significant risks for our entertainment (and their own enrichment and enjoyment), so all this nanny state around what they can and can't do just feels a bit much. If anyone takes the piss, then pull them up on it, until then, let them be themselves. Remember when we had a grid full of corporate Schumacher clones starting every answer with "For sure ..."? As much as I think Max is a petulant tt on occasions, I'm very glad he has the opportunity to be his genuine self, as it would be much less interesting if he toed the PR friendly line all the time.

[DanielSan]

Muzzer79 said:

I seem to be in a minority regarding the swearing thing.

In the car, there is a time delay so it can be bleeped out. No issue there.

But in a live press conference I think they should absolutely not be able to swear - whether they are describing a person or an "inanimate object"

Do we think it's OK to have kids watching a press conference to hear Verstappen describing his car as "fked" or LeClerc using similar language?

I can't think of another sport where this is OK so why would it be in F1?

If you think kids don't hear and say worse at school most days you're unbelievably misguided.

[Muzzer79]

DanielSan said:

Muzzer79 said:

I seem to be in a minority regarding the swearing thing.

In the car, there is a time delay so it can be bleeped out. No issue there.

But in a live press conference I think they should absolutely not be able to swear - whether they are describing a person or an "inanimate object"

Do we think it's OK to have kids watching a press conference to hear Verstappen describing his car as "fked" or LeClerc using similar language?

I can't think of another sport where this is OK so why would it be in F1?

If you think kids don't hear and say worse at school most days you're unbelievably misguided.

I have no doubt that they do

But that doesn't mean it's OK to broadcast it live on TV.

Again, I totally understand the in-car radio aspect - they're working, it's intense pressure, they're not talking to the public or media, they're talking to the team. If you want to broadcast it, put a time delay on it and add beeps if necessary.

But live press conferences or other media duties........it's all a bit naive to think that you can just go in there effing and jeffing and expect everyone to accept it.

[Bo_apex]

Muzzer79 said:

I seem to be in a minority regarding the swearing thing.

In the car, there is a time delay so it can be bleeped out. No issue there.

But in a live press conference I think they should absolutely not be able to swear - whether they are describing a person or an "inanimate object"

Do we think it's OK to have kids watching a press conference to hear Verstappen describing his car as "fked" or LeClerc using similar language?

I can't think of another sport where this is OK so why would it be in F1?

Agree 100%

[Bo_apex]

Muzzer79 said:

I have no doubt that they do

But that doesn't mean it's OK to broadcast it live on TV.

Again, I totally understand the in-car radio aspect - they're working, it's intense pressure, they're not talking to the public or media, they're talking to the team. If you want to broadcast it, put a time delay on it and add beeps if necessary.

But live press conferences or other media duties........it's all a bit naive to think that you can just go in there effing and jeffing and expect everyone to accept it.

If F1 drivers get all Jimmy Carr in pressers viewers will see a lack of self-control by elite sportsmen while they shout fk you stty peasants who disagree with my personal fking tastes I can say what I fking like you s

[Bo_apex]

Supersam83 said:

Lewis Hamilton you can tell has contributed to the wearing jewellery line but who has added about the underpants?

Vanity Bling clearly takes priority over FIA safety rules.

So does wearing stty underpants

[732NM]

They have called the FIA corrupt in that message.

Where has our money gone? We asked you years ago and you won't tell us.

MBS won't like that.

[Bo_apex]

732NM said:

They have called the FIA corrupt in that message.

Where has our money gone? We asked you years ago and you won't tell us.

MBS won't like that.

Drivers become policy makers and accountants each Tuesday afternoon.

Could be fun !