Drivers can swear at their team, but not on TV – that’s the message from racing’s governing body after a wild radio rant in Saudi Arabia last Friday.
British driver Dan Ticktum absolutely lost it during the Formula E race, unleashing a string of F-bombs at his team when they told him about a pit stop problem.
“We’re going to lose the whole fucking race because of that,” Ticktum screamed over the radio. “Oh for fucks sake man, fucking hell.”
And he wasn’t done there.
The Kira driver kept going: “What the fuck are we doing? Fucking hell, what a shit show.” He even threatened to get out of the car in frustration.
But here’s the interesting part – Ticktum didn’t get in any trouble for his outburst. This comes just months after F1 star Max Verstappen got slapped with a penalty for saying “fucked” during a TV interview in Singapore.
So what gives?
The FIA, racing’s governing body, says it’s all about context. Ticktum was just talking to his team on the radio, while Verstappen’s comment went out on live television.
“No further action was needed as this happened in the context of a radio communication with the team and not during a media interview,” officials explained.
It probably helped that Ticktum’s rant wasn’t broadcast on TV – only fans using the Formula E app could hear the full meltdown.
The decision sets an important precedent: drivers can apparently curse all they want at their teams, just not when the cameras are rolling.
Ticktum, who’s known for his fiery personality, might want to save some of that energy for the next race. But at least now he knows he can vent to his team without worrying about a penalty.
