Carlos Sainz Breaks Silence Over Swearing Ban: 'Only a Race Ban?'

Alex Harrington | Feb 14, 2025

Carlos Sainz (ESP) Williams Racing FW46. Formula One World Championship, Atlassian Williams Racing FW47 Launch, Silverstone, England, Friday 14th February 2025. / Williams Racing

Carlos Sainz has recently shared his thoughts on the newer swearing penalties in Formula 1. Talking with a number of media outlets, including Sports Illustrated, he dissected the recent regulations outlined by the FIA in regards to swearing.

"Only a race ban, I expected even more," he joked from a cold Silverstone where Williams was testing their 2025 contender, the FW47. While drivers are expected to maintain professional conduct during press conferences and media appearances, the Spaniard argues there's room for emotion in such an adrenaline-filled sport.

Swearing penalties have become a strong topic in Formula 1 after the FIA introduced stricter regulations, including fines starting at €40,000 and escalating race bans for repeat offenses. This new policy was brought in after incidents in 2024 involving drivers like Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, who faced penalties for swearing during press conferences. The aim is to uphold certain "moral standards," while ensuring that the intensity of the sport doesn't compromise professionalism.  

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Sainz has maintained his belief that F1 drivers should exercise control during press conferences to avoid using inappropriate language.

"My thoughts are that F1 drivers should be controlled enough doing press conferences and media appearances to not swear," Sainz told us. "And I am in favour, kind of, to us, a group to make an effort, when all the kids are watching us in press conferences or in front of the media, to at least have good behavior and decent vocabulary.

"I think that's not very difficult. So do we need fines or do we need to be controlled for that? I don't know."  

However, Alex Albon's new teammate has questioned the stringent penalties applied to swearing during races. He noted that the intense environment inside the car is a fundamental part of the sport.

"At the same time do I think this is too much for radio communication and the adrenaline and the pressure that we have inside the car? Yes, I think it's too much. But [what] the FIA is trying to achieve with bans and everything - because for me, that's a fundamental part of the sport where you guys get to see the real emotion and real pressure and the real excitement on the voice and even sometimes, unfortunately, a vocabulary of a racing driver."

He adds that as long as the language used is not used in an offensive way, occasional swearing shouldn't be too tightly controlled.

"As long as it's not offensive words towards anyone and it's just a swearing word, where you just can see I'm being emotional, I don't think that should be too controlled because then you guys are going to miss out in a lot of the stuff that we both do inside the car."  

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Comparing this situation to other sports, the former Ferrari driver noted how football often includes unfiltered language on the pitch - an argument that's been used by many drivers recently.

"Trust me, you don't want to put a microphone inside a football pitch and see what the guy is saying inside a football pitch, which is an equivalent situation."

Joining Williams in 2025 after his four-year stint with the Scuderia, Sainz has brought a wealth of experience to the team. He has praised Williams for its motivated workforce and is seen as a key player in the team’s effort to regain competitiveness after a successful test today.

More News: Williams Leaves Door Open for Former Driver Ahead of Carlos Sainz’s 2025 Start

Sainz's stance resonates with his teammate. Alex Albon, his Williams teammate, expressed similar concerns about the FIA's strict control over drivers' expressions.

"There's definitely been discussions about it," he admitted. "We're still ongoing about how we want to set out what we say around it.

"It is a delicate matter and of course do we think it's right? Of course not.

"I don't think we should be so monetised in every single aspect of what we do. It's a pure adrenaline sport as well. I don't think us walking around with the mics [microphones] all the time is ... Whatever."

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