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F1 drivers muzzled? Tom Coronel blasts FIA for turning racers into ‘marketing puppets’

Carl Smith by Carl Smith
January 25, 2025
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Max Verstappen Slams FIA Over ‘Childish’ Penalty for Swearing Ban

Formula One F1 - Qatar Grand Prix - Lusail International Circuit, Lusail, Qatar - December 1, 2024 Red Bull's Max Verstappen with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

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The world of Formula 1 is buzzing with controversy as veteran racing driver Tom Coronel launches a scathing attack on the FIA, accusing the sport’s governing body of stifling driver freedom and stripping the sport of its raw emotion. With sweeping new regulations set to debut in 2025, Coronel claims that Formula 1 is at risk of reducing its stars to nothing more than “marketing puppets.”


FIA’s new rule: silencing dissent?

Under the FIA’s 2025 rulebook, Formula 1 drivers face the possibility of race bans for publicly criticizing decisions made by stewards or the governing body. While some, including certain F1 presenters, have cautiously supported the move as a way to maintain professionalism, many see it as a draconian attempt to muzzle drivers.

Coronel didn’t mince words, labeling the FIA’s efforts as a blatant attempt to strip drivers of their voices:
“They obviously want to silence the drivers as much as possible. That’s what’s behind it. I feel the whole emotion is being taken out. You are no longer allowed to have an opinion at all; you just become a marketing puppet. You are being gagged.”

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The ‘no swearing’ rule sparks uproar

The controversy doesn’t stop at curbing dissent. The FIA has also implemented a ban on swearing in the paddock, a move that sparked heated debate after Max Verstappen received a controversial penalty for breaching the rule. Coronel was quick to slam the regulation, calling it “completely ridiculous” and arguing that it drains the essence of what makes Formula 1 thrilling.

“It is absolutely, completely ridiculous that emotion is being pulled out of the sport. That’s just what makes the sport. I don’t understand it at all,” he stated.

For Coronel, the FIA’s new approach risks sanitizing Formula 1 to the point where its stars are no longer relatable or authentic. Fans, he warns, are drawn to the raw, unfiltered passion that drivers bring to the sport—not to a scripted, corporate-friendly version of their personalities.


The bigger picture: does F1 risk losing its soul?

This isn’t the first time Formula 1 has faced criticism for over-policing its drivers. In recent years, increased restrictions on political statements, gestures, and now public criticisms have raised concerns that the sport is moving away from its rebellious, free-spirited roots. Coronel’s criticism highlights a growing divide between the FIA’s efforts to maintain order and the drivers’ desire to remain outspoken, relatable figures.

While the FIA argues that these rules are necessary to uphold professionalism, critics like Coronel see them as a dangerous overreach that risks alienating fans. The concern is that Formula 1 could lose the very elements that make it exciting—unfiltered emotion, heated rivalries, and the human drama that unfolds both on and off the track.


Will F1 drivers fight back?

So far, no current drivers have publicly commented on the new rules, but all eyes are on outspoken figures like Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Both drivers have been vocal critics of the FIA in the past, and it remains to be seen whether they will challenge the latest wave of restrictions.

With Formula 1 heading into an era of unprecedented regulation, the question remains: will these rules bring order to the chaos, or will they strip the sport of its soul? For now, Coronel’s fiery critique has reignited the debate, setting the stage for a showdown between the drivers and the sport’s governing body.

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