ABU DHABI, Dec 8 (Reuters) – Formula One world champion Max Verstappen will serve a penalty for swearing when he visits Rwanda next week to collect his winner’s trophy, the governing FIA said on Sunday.
Verstappen, who secured his fourth successive championship in Las Vegas last month, was ordered to do “work of public interest’ after swearing during a Singapore Grand Prix press conference in September.
The FIA’s prize-giving gala is in Kigali next week, a first for the governing body.
It said after the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that the Red Bull driver “would undertake some work with junior competitors as part of the grassroots development programme organised by the Rwanda Automobile Club”.
The activity will involve an FIA Affordable Cross Car built locally from blueprints provided by the governing body.
The Dutch driver collected a 10-second penalty in Sunday’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after a first-lap collision with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
While Verstappen apologised to Piastri, he was less complimentary about the stewards who gave him the time penalty and two penalty points on his licence.
The 27-year-old now has a total of eight points for the 12-month period, with 12 triggering an automatic one-race ban.
“Could we ask for 20 seconds, stupid idiots,” he said over the radio, a reference to the two 10-second penalties he received in Mexico in October.
The Piastri collision could have been disastrous for McLaren, who were fighting Ferrari for the constructors’ title and emerged on top thanks to Lando Norris winning from pole position.
“I apologised to Oscar. I never want to crash with anyone, especially not Oscar who is a great guy,” Verstappen told Sky Sports television.
“I went up the inside because we had a really good launch but then I realised that it was going to be tight at the apex.
“I tried to stay on the kerb but unfortunately we clipped with the tyres, hooked each other and both spun. It’s not great, as simple as that.”
Piastri fought back to 10th and McLaren became champions for the first time in 26 years, by 14 points.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Toby Davis and Clare Fallon)
