Verstappen to help racers in Rwanda as penalty for swearing
Dutch NewsFormula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has been ordered to work with young racing drivers in Rwanda as punishment for using explicit language in a press conference. The FIA, the sport’s governing body, said Verstappen would “undertake some work with junior competitors as part of the grassroots development programme organised by the Rwanda Automobile Club”. The incident triggered a row between FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and the drivers’ union, which accused him of hypocrisy, while Verstappen staged his own protest by giving monosyllabic answers in his next press conference. Verstappen rounded off his championship-winning season with a sixth-placed finish and another penalty in Abu Dhabi, after he was blamed for causing a crash with McLaren driver Oscar Piastri on the opening lap.