Max Verstappen staged a solo protest during the Singapore Grand Prix on Saturday in response to what he termed a “ridiculous” punishment for swearing in a previous session.

“I find it ridiculous what happened,” Verstappen said in an interview with Sky Sports F1 about his sanction. “So why should I then give full answers? It’s very easy to get fined or receive penalties. I prefer to save my voice and not speak much in that setting.”

After qualifying second on the grid for Sunday’s race, behind Lando Norris, the three-time world champion opted to give minimal responses or simply stated “no comment” during the official FIA post-qualifying press conference for the top three drivers.

The FIA imposed a form of “community service” on Verstappen, requiring him to perform some public interest work after he used foul language during a live broadcast of Thursday’s drivers’ press conference.

Verstappen stated he was willing to answer questions from journalists outside the official FIA media session but not during it.

He added: “It’s absurd to receive a penalty for that. If you insult someone, that’s clear, but I didn’t direct my comments at anyone. It was just a slip of the tongue.”

Verstappen’s stance drew support from fellow drivers Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton, who qualified third at the Marina Bay Circuit. Norris described the penalty as “pretty unfair,” stating, “I don’t agree with any of it.” Hamilton echoed this sentiment, reinforcing the notion that the punishment was unjust.

Lewis Hamilton voiced his disapproval of the FIA’s recent penalty imposed on Max Verstappen, calling it “a bit of a joke” and encouraging Verstappen to disregard the punishment.

The seven-time world champion emphasised that mistakes happen in the sport and stated, “I certainly won’t be doing community service, and I hope Max doesn’t either.”

This week, drivers were urged to reduce their use of foul language during team radio communications while racing.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem commented in an interview that motorsport is not “rap music” and that drivers should be mindful of their language, particularly since children might be watching.

Hamilton specifically took issue with Ben Sulayem’s comparison to rap music, stating, “I don’t like how he’s expressed it, saying ‘rappers’ is very stereotypical. And most rappers are black. That was the wrong choice of words. There’s a racial element there.”