In believing Max Verstappen’s FIA punishment for swearing in an official press conference could have been handled “slightly differently”, Christian Horner referenced the UK Royal Family and the occasional swear word from them as proof that “reactions need to be relative” to such moments.

Verstappen was handed a punishment of being ordered to carry out the equivalent of community service after describing his car as “f***ed” in a recent FIA press conference, which prompted a frustrated response from the reigning World Champion.

Christian Horner calls for ‘relative’ reactions to Max Verstappen FIA swearing punishment

Multiple views from the world of Formula 1 have been taken on the subject of Verstappen being penalised, with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in particular having looked to clamp down on swearing in recent months, with the governing body’s definition of misconduct having expanded.

The Red Bull driver is the first to have fallen foul of the rule change, but Horner explained his hope for the situation to have been resolved in a different way.

“I think that Max has made his feelings clear,” Horner told reporters after the race in Singapore when asked for his reaction to Verstappen’s punishment.

“Of course, all these drivers are from all over the place, but language that’s used in everyday life…it would have been perhaps better dealt with slightly differently, which would have avoided any awkwardness.

“I’m not sure how much he’s talking in the FIA press conference, but I assume it’s relatively little.”

That assumption was correct, with the reigning World Champion opting to keep to his newfound policy of answering questions with minimal response in the FIA press conference after the race in Singapore before holding a separate media session outside the press conference room, as he did in qualifying.

Speaking after the race to assembled reporters, the Dutch driver remained unimpressed at his punishment.

“I think it’s just the wording, the ruling that the sport is heading into – for me personally, with these kind of things, I know, of course, you can’t insult people. That’s quite straightforward and I think no one really wants to do that,” he said.

“But, yeah, it’s all a bit too soft. Really, honestly, it’s silly. It’s super silly what we’re dealing with.

“If you can’t really be yourself to the fullest, then it’s better not to speak.

“At the end of the day, 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.”

As for Horner, he deployed a comparison to the British Royal Family and their sometimes liberal use of language in official settings, and called for an appropriate response to any criticism among drivers, given that anyone is capable of swearing.

When asked if Verstappen had used any swear words during the race, Horner replied: “I suppose the difference was between a press conference and in the car.

“But for a driver [for] who English is not his native tongue, how many examples…we’ve seen members of the Royal Family telling photographers to ‘take a f***ing photo!’ – so, you know, reactions need to be relative.”