F1 News: Former F1 Boss Urges For Code Of Conduct Change After Max Verstappen Rages In Austin

"It’s not allowed in other sports and it shouldn’t be allowed in Formula One."

Former Ferrari team manager Peter Windsor has called for a language code of conduct for driver radio communication in F1 after Max Verstappen expressed his annoyance at his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase while uttering swear words that had to be bleeped out during the United States Grand Prix. 

The Dutchman faced challenges with the RB19's brakes in the initial stages of the race in Austin which he immediately reported to Lambiase. But, that was done in a way that caused some words to be bleeped out. He said:

“Mate, these brakes are so s*** compared to yesterday. What a piece of s***!”

When Lambiase told him later that his pace was dropping, Verstappen responded by saying:

“I know man, my brakes are just s***.”

However, the swearing wasn't just limited to Verstappen. It was in use rather casually by many other drivers at the Circuit Of The Americas. For example, Charles Leclerc dropped several 'F-remarks' on Friday and Saturday.

In his latest YouTube stream, Windsor expressed the need for a communication code of conduct in Formula 1 as the race is being watched by a lot of the younger audience. He said:

“Interestingly, he was getting very irate on the radio. I felt a bit sorry for Gianpiero, his race engineer.

"He managed to choose virtually every time he said something to Max, which was usually sort of gaps to Lewis or whatever it was, he chose a braking area when Max was absolutely focused on doing something that he doesn’t normally do and trying to get it absolutely right.

"You get the radio and they say, ‘Oh, you know, you’re four and a half seconds ahead of Lewis’. And he said, ‘Don’t talk to me while I’m braking’. He was actually expletive deleted at one point when he was talking about the brakes.

"Max, you’re the triple World Champion, you’re not allowed to do that. They bleeped it, obviously, but lots of young kids watching Formula One these days.

"I think there should be some sort of code of conduct to do with language. Because even young kids today know what a bleep is, don’t they? So we don’t need any more of that.”

F1 News: Max Verstappen Clarifies Hilarious Radio Arguments With Race Engineer

Bleeping Since Ralf Schumacher Days

Windsor believes that the 'swearing on the radio trend' was started by former driver Ralf Schumacher and former F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone. He added:

“Bernie started all that when he allowed Ralf Schumacher to get away with it years ago, when he used the F word for the first time that I’d ever heard on the radio.

"Bernie thought it was a big laugh and really good for Formula One.

"And I totally disagreed at the time for the same reason I disagree with it now. I think if you’ve got young kids and you’re trying to get to a young audience, you don’t allow that sort of thing.

"It’s not allowed in other sports and it shouldn’t be allowed in Formula One. And they do a good job of deleting it, I know that, but one day it’ll slip through.”

Red Bull Press Image