After finishing third in the Mexico City Grand Prix, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc found himself in hot water with the FIA after using the F-word during an official press conference.

The slip happened as Leclerc described the moment he lost control of his car in the final corner, allowing McLaren’s Lando Norris to overtake him for second place.

He explained: “I had one oversteer, and then when I recovered from that oversteer, I had an oversteer from the other side, and then I was like, f***!”

Realizing he had made a mistake, he quickly apologized, joking: "Sorry! Oh no! I don’t want to join Max,” he said while laughing.

The incident, though accidental, prompted the FIA to issue the Monegasque a fine of €10,000, with €5,000 of that amount suspended on the condition that he avoids further breaches within the next year.

This penalty is different from the one Red Bull’s Max Verstappen received for using the same word before the Singapore Grand Prix as the Dutchman was given a community service assignment rather than a fine.

He later criticised the FIA for giving inconsistent penalties and in protest limited his answers in official press conferences that weekend and held separate media sessions in the F1 paddock instead.

The FIA noted that Leclerc’s quick apology was a reason for a lighter penalty and that his case wasn’t as serious as Verstappen’s.

Therefore, Verstappen remains the only F1 driver to serve community service penalties, having first received such a punishment after shoving Esteban Ocon in parc ferme at the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix. 

As part of his penalty, Verstappen observed the FIA stewards at the 2019 Formula E race in Marrakesh to understand their work and later attended a meeting of the FIA's International Stewards Programme.