Ben Hunt: The pointlessness of Verstappen’s flying visit to Rwanda

Perhaps in one way the punishment serves the ridiculous nature of the crime. The inconvenience of an eight-and-a-half-hour flight each way to Rwanda to “undertake some work” with the Rwanda Automobile Club as retribution for swearing during a press conference.

Coming at the end of the longest-ever season in Formula 1’s history, not to mention the environmental impact of Verstappen’s private jet making the journey to the country in the middle of Africa, one questions the logic for such a punishment. And what ‘work’ will Verstappen be taking? And why in Rwanda?

Rwanda is hosting the FIA Awards Ceremony this evening, where Verstappen will officially collect his world championship trophy.

There had been some discussions about whether he would attend the FIA showpiece, despite being mandatory for the top three drivers in the F1 championship.

Lewis Hamilton missed the gala in 2021 after the controversial final race of the season in Abu Dhabi that denied him a record eighth world title and handed it to Verstappen.

For skipping the gala while he pondered his future in motorsport, Hamilton was fined €50,000 which was put towards helping improve diversity in motorsport.

By stipulating that Verstappen’s penalty for swearing during the Singapore GP must be served in Rwanda, it effectively secures his presence at the gala.

Forcing Verstappen to serve his punishment in Rwanda will ensure he is present at the FIA's prizegiving ceremony

Photo by: FIA

The FIA says its “work of public interest” will see him “undertake some work with junior competitors as part of the grassroots development programme organised by the Rwanda Automobile Club (RAC)”.

It added: “The activity will involve an FIA Affordable Cross Car which was built locally in Rwanda by the RAC from blueprints provided by the FIA.”

Aside from those two paragraphs, that’s all that has been communicated. Verstappen's Red Bull team is also in the dark as to what is required of its driver and is understood to have a location and a time for the four-time world champion to be present.

One would imagine that Verstappen is simply invited to attend a meeting with the youngsters in what would seem to be an elaborate meet-and-greet. Not exactly much of a 'punishment'.

Autosport has contacted the FIA for more information but has yet to have a reply.

The vagueness is baffling given the potential good such punishment could be used for, but sadly it is in keeping with other examples of “work of public interest”.

Verstappen has previously received two days of such work for aggressively shoving Esteban Ocon during the 2018 Brazilian GP.

On that occasion, Verstappen attended the FIA's annual stewards programme for race officials and spent the day with the stewards at the Formula E race in Marrakesh.

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In doing so, it undermined the all-electric series as once again the messaging was lost and the narrative became ‘Verstappen forced to attend an FE race as punishment’.

Verstappen previously spent time with Formula E stewards in early 2019 when he was last given community service

Photo by: FIA

His Red Bull boss Christian Horner also received his own “work of public interest” punishment for saying a marshal had gone “rogue”.

In that instance, Horner joined a virtual stewarding course and spoke on a panel alongside then-F1 race director Michael Masi and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Hardly ‘work of public interest’.

Ultimately, the ham-fisted punishment dished out for such a minor offence smacks of nothing more than a convenient way to ensure Verstappen attends.

That in turn makes a mockery of the practice. If the FIA was serious about punishing Verstappen for his swearing, then surely there should have been some sort of educational programme?

An easier way would be to have fined him, and indeed any other driver who swears, with the money being distributed in areas of the organisation, providing there is full transparency on where it is going and how it is being spent.

This was a real opportunity for the FIA to lay down a marker albeit over what is a trivial matter, but one the FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has made clear is important.

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Instead, there is a feeling that it has been used rather cynically to hold Verstappen to ransom to showcase the FIA’s gala, which unfortunately only serves to undermine its authority.

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