Max Verstappen always at the center of discussion
The Formula 1 world continues to talk about what happened at the start of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with the near contact between Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen and the Dutchman’s corner-1 cut, for which he was later handed a five-second penalty for not giving the position back. The penalty essentially cost the Red Bull driver the win, as he crossed the line 2.6 seconds behind the Australian #81. After the race, all journalists asked Max Verstappen about the incident, but he refused to answer any questions, explaining in the press conference that he wanted “to save time and avoid getting in trouble.”
The controversial team radio
Perhaps a wise choice, especially in light of what has emerged regarding FOM’s handling of his team radio immediately following the penalty communication during the race. On television, the radio exchange between Lambiase and Verstappen was aired with a bleep, leading everyone to assume Verstappen had used a curse word. However, listening to the full recording of the exchange between the world champion and his race engineer reveals that this wasn’t the case. Verstappen simply seems to say, “really lovely,” sarcastically referring to the penalty.
Moreover, the FOM broadcast ended with Lambiase’s message, “no comment,” advising Max to avoid getting into trouble with harsh comments about the stewards. In reality, Verstappen responded further to this by saying, “oh don’t worry, I don’t care.” A message that shows the #1 from Hasselt had no intention of insulting anyone, but rather maintained a sarcastic tone regarding the penalty. Below is a comparison of the two ‘versions’ of the team radio, clearly showing the difference.
FOM Version
Lambiase: “Info: you’ve been given a five-second penalty for the turn-one incident. Head down.”
Verstappen: “Oh, it’s…”
Lambiase: “Yes, Max…”
Verstappen: “…[censored] lovely!”
Lambiase: “Yes. Yes. No comment.”
Full Version
Lambiase: “Gap behind 1.1. Info: you’ve been given a five-second penalty for the turn-one incident. Head down.”
Verstappen: “Oh, it’s…”
Lambiase: “Yes, Max…”
Verstappen: “…really lovely!”
Lambiase: “Yes. Yes. No comment.”
Verstappen: “Oh don’t worry, I don’t care.”
Lambiase: “Mode nine.”
An alternative interpretation is also circulating online, since Verstappen’s audio is not perfectly clear and Lambiase briefly speaks over him. This other version – shared for accuracy and completeness – suggests the Dutchman said “bloody lovely,” which would translate to something like “damn lovely” in Italian. Even in this case, however, it’s hard to understand the point of the bleep, as no actual curse or insult is present, though the expression is clearly more critical and provocative.
Preventive censorship or manufactured controversy?
This seems to be an episode of preventive censorship. It should be noted, though, that the communications broadcast on TV are delayed from real-time to be screened before airing. The concern – which would be quite serious – is that someone may have intentionally tried to manufacture a small media storm by exploiting Max Verstappen’s reputation, as he’s known for colorful radio messages. Yet he wasn’t on this occasion, even though a distorted impression was given.
Earlier this year, FOM had already been criticized, this time by Ferrari: after the Chinese GP, team principal Fred Vasseur strongly complained about how Lewis Hamilton’s team radio was aired. The Brit had spontaneously offered to give up position to teammate Charles Leclerc, but the omission of part of the conversation led viewers to believe the opposite — that the team had suggested the swap and Hamilton was stalling. We’ll see what Red Bull and Verstappen’s reactions will be this time.
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