It wasn’t a case of the drivers saying they love to swear, or that it’s important they can, but that in an elite sport where the stakes are so high and they have microphones on them while competing at over 200mph it is not fair to ask them to try and consider what they say at such a time.
Ironically, it was a weekend that led to even more swearing. You noticed every word on team radio, every slight slip during an interview answer, and then there was the excellent Max Verstappen protest.
Politely telling the FIA moderator Tom Clarkson that it was nothing personal against him — as Clarkson kept trying to prise longer answers from the defending champion — Verstappen fulfilled his duties within the press conference room and then spoke eloquently outside to the print media who followed him down the paddock.
It allowed Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton to clearly voice their support for him as such a clampdown not only will affect all drivers, but it threatens to dilute their personalities when we should be celebrating authenticity.
Lawson copping some abuse
It was a tough weekend for Liam Lawson. You might not have thought that would be the case for a driver who is being heavily linked with a race seat in 2025 – or perhaps even for the rest of this season – but it was.
For starters, he was the centre of such speculation without really having the right of reply. The suggestion that he could replace Daniel Ricciardo after this race led to plenty of discussion online, but Lawson insisted as the weekend got underway that he hadn’t been told anything relating to his future.
Lawson with RB team principal Laurent Mekies in Singapore
Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty via Red Bull
So whenever he was tagged in messages or comments online, that were often far from accurate but perhaps could prove to have some truth to them further down the line, he wasn’t in a position to respond and dispute them.
The feeling remains that Ricciardo would be a loss in terms of his personality and value to F1, but that the performances that are clearly still in there just haven’t been seen often enough over the past year to seriously justify a promotion. Lawson showed himself fully worthy of a chance when he made his five substitute appearances a year ago, and deserves his chance.
For Ricciardo’s part, the late fastest lap was a talking point for multiple reasons, but also a sad way to potentially sign off his career. His post-race comments suggest it is all over, as does the guard of honour he received from guests – and team principal Laurent Mekies – when he returned to the team’s hospitality unit.
Either way, both drivers certainly deserve to know what their respective futures hold, so that they don’t have to endure the uncomfortable limbo of this weekend again.
In the garage at Haas
Rare though it is, I had some friends at an F1 race this weekend, after one of my childhood mates and his fiancee were having a few days’ layover as part of a life move to New Zealand. And thanks to Haas, they were able to spend Friday with the team, that also gave me the excuse to join them in the garage for FP1.
Spending a session in a team’s garage and listening on the headsets to the team radio between the two cars is actually an even more uncommon opportunity, with it obviously an experience for guests rather than those of us working. But it was a brilliant bit of insight into how race weekends start and are approached by teams.
Hülkenberg’s detailed feedback helped him and Haas to a points finish on Sunday
Haas
Standing on Nico Hülkenberg’s side of the garage, I could tune into both drivers’ radios, and it was clear that Kevin Magnussen prefers far more detail in terms of traffic management, with constant countdowns to the car behind. Interestingly, lap times and positions were mentioned from the very first lap, too, as the team noted its starting point.
Only when the drivers return to the garage do they provide the really detailed feedback — Hülkenberg extremely impressively relating specifics of the car’s handling at turn-in, mid-corner and exit at multiple points around the track — and the race engineers or the drivers themselves suggest changes.
With all of the mechanics plugged into the radio but not on talkback (they receive plenty of messages through a text-based system on a screen), one noted that Hülkenberg’s feedback was likely to require a rear anti-roll bar change, and was ready with the tools even before the request was made.
The calm, methodical approach to a session that was disrupted by braking issues on Hulkenberg’s side of the garage was a sign of the confidence within Haas, and it duly played out with a top six result in qualifying and two points on Sunday.