Verstappen says 'silly' swearing row could hasten F1 exit
World champion Max Verstappen on Sunday described his
punishment for swearing as "silly" and threatened the row could
hasten his exit from Formula One.
The Dutchman finished second to Lando Norris at the
Singapore Grand Prix but the saga over him being slapped with a community
service order continued to dominate fallout in the paddock.
"These kinds of things decide my future as
well when you can't be yourself or you have to deal with these kinds of silly
things," the 26-year-old said.
The Red Bull driver was sanctioned by the FIA after using the
F-word in Thursday's drivers' press conference which was being broadcast live.
He subsequently staged a one-man protest by giving only short
answers or offering "no comment" to reporters in the official FIA
post-qualifying press conference on Saturday.
After Sunday's race, he again limited his responses before conducting
a lengthy press conference with some members of the written press inside the
Red Bull hospitality unit.
"I am at the stage of my career where you don't want to
be dealing with this all the time. It's tiring," he told the BBC.
"For me, that is not a way of continuing in the sport,
that's for sure."
Verstappen is chasing a fourth world title this season but he
has said in the past that a long career in Formula One is not on his agenda.
He is also keen to explore other forms of motor racing once
his current contract with Red Bull ends in 2028.
"F1 will go on without me. It's not a problem and also
not a problem for me. It's how it is," he added.
"If you can't be yourself to the fullest, then it's better not to speak. But that's what no one wants because then you become a robot and that's not how you should be going about it in the sport."
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