The rule, which is laid out in Appendix B of the FIA International Sporting Code (ISC), made headlines earlier this year during Rally Sweden. Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux received a €10,000 fine after using an English swear word at the end of the final stage, during a live interview at the stop line.
Following the incident, WRC drivers reacted strongly. They formed their own representative association, WoRDA, and staged a protest during the Safari Rally in Kenya in March by refusing to give interviews at stage ends.
After Kenya, WoRDA and the FIA held discussions and reached an understanding: drivers would not be penalised for spontaneous, non-directed swearing in the heat of the moment, provided the language used was not abusive or discriminatory.
Now, the FIA has confirmed it is making further changes to the ISC. In practice, penalties for swearing are being reduced.
The base maximum fine will be cut from €10,000 to €5,000 – a 50% reduction. In addition, stewards will have the discretion to fully suspend the penalty if the incident is a first offence for the driver or team.
“As a former rally driver, I know firsthand the range of emotions that are faced during competition, said FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
In future, interview situations will be classified as either controlled or non-controlled environments. Press conferences, for instance, are defined as controlled settings, whereas spontaneous reactions at stage ends are considered non-controlled. Swearing remains prohibited in controlled environments.
Mitigating circumstances will continue to be taken into account, with additional guidance introduced to ensure fairness and consistency in decision-making. Racist and discriminatory language remains strictly forbidden.
From now on, insulting rally officials, organisers, or similar parties will result in sporting penalties rather than monetary fines.
“The improvements the FIA has announced today to Appendix B will ensure we continue to promote the best of sportsmanship in motor sport, while also giving stewards effective guidelines to act against individuals who may bring the sport into disrepute. The FIA will always be committed to ensuring motor sport is accessible for all our sporting family,” Ben Sulayem said.
