Latest news with #FormulaOneManagement
News18
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
'Real' Over 'Reel' Racing For Verstappen! F1 Champion Snubs Brad Pitt's F1 Movie For iRacing
Last Updated: Max Verstappen skipped the exclusive screening of Brad Pitt's 'F1: The Movie' to spend time at home with family, and to live stream his iRacing gameplay. Max Verstappen made waves in F1's most glamorous paddock on Thursday by choosing to stay home instead of attending an exclusive screening of the new Brad Pitt film 'F1: The Movie'. Verstappen, who isn't fond of promotional activities beyond his team's needs, said he had declined the invitation well in advance. He didn't comment on his diaper-changing duties. 'I informed Formula One Management (FOM) that I wouldn't be attending," he said. 'They were aware. I just wanted to spend more time at home. It wasn't a mandatory event, and it was my private time. 'I prefer to spend that private time at home, especially since in F1, you're away from home so much already. It's pretty normal, I think. Now that my family is growing, I definitely prefer more time at home." While no one doubts Verstappen's commitment as a father, his alter-ego, 'Franz Hermann', was active on iRacing during the screening. The F1 Drivers had an exclusive preview of Brad Pitt's F1 Movie! 🍿All active drivers showed up to the premier except for, you guessed it, Max Verstappen aka Franz Hermann who was live on iRacing 😂 — Racing Balls F1 (@RacingBallsF1) May 21, 2025 Red Bull's four-time world champion and Aston Martin's Lance Stroll were the only drivers absent from the preview showing of the Hollywood movie in Monaco on Wednesday evening, which was part of the build-up to this weekend's Grand Prix. Both drivers, along with the 18 who attended, are in Monaco for the Grand Prix, the second of three consecutive races in Italy, Monaco, and Spain, following six season-opening flyaway races in Australia, Asia, the Gulf, and Florida. The highly anticipated film, set for release next month, stars Brad Pitt and Damson Idris. It was directed by Joseph Kosinski, known for 'Top Gun: Maverick,' and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari, who praised the movie for its authenticity. (with agency inputs) First Published: May 22, 2025, 23:50 IST
The Sun
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Max Verstappen breaks silence on being one of only two drivers not to attend Brad Pitt's F1 movie screening
MAX VERSTAPPEN has revealed why he snubbed Brad Pitt's F1 movie screening. The Dutchman, alongside Aston Martin racing driver Lance Stroll, did not attend the event on Wednesday night in Monaco ahead of the Grand Prix, unlike the other 18 drivers on the grid. 3 3 It is understood that the event was mandatory but not written in their contracts to attend as it was during their free time. The four-time world champion said: 'Yeah, I notified FOM [ Formula One Management] about that, so we were well aware that I wasn't attending,' 'I wanted to spend more private time because it is private time at the end of the day.' Many fans spotted that the Red Bull driver instead streamed on Twitch at home with his Team Redline sim racing squad. Verstappen recently became a dad after his girlfriend Kelly Piquet gave birth to their baby daughter Lily just before the Miami Grand Prix. He added: 'I just wanted to spend more time at home, 'It wasn't a mandatory event either, it was just my private time. 'And I prefer to spend that private time at home, especially because in Formula 1 you're away from home so much already. 'Wanting to spend more time at home on days like that is pretty normal, I think. 'Now that the family is growing, I definitely prefer to spend more time at home.' 10 Years of Max Verstappen documentary trailer Verstappen said he will watch the film once it comes out, adding: 'I think it's coming out in June, so I'll download it on Apple. 'Of course I get it, there was the opportunity to watch it, I think I'll watch it now or in three or four weeks, that's fine as well. 'I read good stuff in the movie, so I'm sure that it's going to be exciting.' 3
Forbes
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Resolution Looms In Formula 1 Swearing Saga As FIA Boss Softens Stance
A resolution over the contentious issue of swearing in Formula 1 may at long last be on the horizon, according to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Last season, the head of world motorsport's governing body asked drivers to rein in their language and warned heftier fines would be introduced as a deterrent for those who do not comply. The stringent measures led to a bitter dispute between he and the drivers, with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton dismissing Ben Sulayem's approach as a needless power play. But the two parties appear to have taken major steps towards a reconciliation ahead of the Miami Grand Prix this weekend. 'Humans make the rules and humans can improve the rules,' Ben Sulayem posted on Instagram on Monday. 'The principle of continuous improvement is something I have always believed in and is at the heart of all we do at the FIA." The FIA supremo added he had received 'constructive feedback' from the drivers and was working on making 'improvements' to Appendix B - the document which regulates punishments in Formula 1. Swearing is included among the offences, as are non-authorized political statements and physical violence. In September, Ben Sulayem called for Formula One Management to avoid broadcasting radio messages that contain swearing. 'We're not rappers, you know,' he told Autosport. 'They say the F-word how many times per minute? We are not on that. That's them, and we are [us] His words, however, did not go down well with Hamilton, who described them as 'very stereotypical' and questioned why the FIA boss chose rappers for his comparison. 'You think about — most rappers are black,' the seven-time world champion told reporters ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix last year. 'That really kind of points it towards when [he] says, 'We're not like them.' So I think those are the wrong choice of words; there's a racial element there.' Some of Hamilton's colleagues, meanwhile, were critical of the hardline approach suggesting a degree of leniency should be shown to drivers who swear in frustration during a race and to non-English speaking drivers. Last season, Verstappen dismissed FIA's approach as too sensitive and suggested the swearing should be a problem for broadcasters rather than drivers. 'I think a lot of people say a lot of bad things when they are full of adrenaline in other sports,' he said. "It just doesn't get picked up. I think it already just starts with not broadcasting it.' Radio communications between drivers and their pit walls are vetted by Formula 1, which delays their broadcast to allow for the bleeping of swear words. Offensive words are also blurred out in the graphics when sharing radio messages. Verstappen was subsequently punished for using the F-word to describe Red Bull's performances and reacted to his ban by delivering monosyllabic answers during FIA press conferences over the Singapore Grand Prix weekend. The Dutchman then made a point of speaking with journalists at length away from official settings and made clear his patience was wearing thin with FIA and even threatened to quit the sport. "These kinds of things definitely decide my future as well, when you can't be yourself or you have to deal with these kinds of silly things," he said. "Now I am at the stage of my career where you don't want to be dealing with this all the time. It's really tiring. "For me, that is not a way of continuing in the sport, that's for sure.' Last week, the four-time world champion suggested drivers were effectively prevented from expressing their opinions in public. 'The problem is I cannot share my opinion about it because I might get penalised so it's better not to talk about,' he said as he declined to discuss a five-second penalty he received during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. 'Anything I say or try to say about it might get me in trouble. 'I know I cannot swear in here but at the same time you also cannot be critical in any form that might harm or danger. "That's why it is better not to talk about it because you can put yourself in trouble and I don't think anyone wants that.' Earlier this month, Carlos Sainz escaped a sanction for swearing during a press conference ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix while discussing a fine he received at the Japanese Grand Prix. The Williams driver received a €20,000 ($22,700) fine, half of which was suspended, in Suzuka last weekend for arriving late to the national anthem ceremony on the starting grid. I was the first one to put my hand up and say, 'I'm late. I'm sorry for that.'," he said. "At the same time, I was five seconds late. And to be five seconds late and have to pay €10,000 or whatever the fine is, for me, it is out of the question that we are having to pay these fines. "But yeah, I don't know if I'm going to get another fine for saying this, but s*** happens."
