Max Verstappen has been given a unique penalty by the FIA after swearing during a press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix in September.

Discussing a challenging weekend in Azerbaijan, he said: “As soon as I went into qualifying [in Baku], I knew the car was f***ed.”

This all happened shortly after FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem emphasized the importance of professionalism from drivers, prompting the FIA stewards to summon Verstappen over his remarks. In response, the FIA ordered Verstappen to carry out “work of public interest.”

Initially, the details of the punishment were unclear, but the FIA now, after months, confirmed that he would serve the penalty in Rwanda ahead of the FIA prize-giving ceremony on December 13. There, he will take part in a grassroots motorsport program organized by the Rwanda Automobile Club, working with young drivers and an FIA Affordable Cross Car built locally.

The full statement from the FIA reads:

“The FIA has announced the details of Max Verstappen’s “work of public interest” duty linked to the Stewards’ penalty for the use of unacceptable language during the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix drivers’ press conference.

“Verstappen will travel to the FIA Awards Ceremony which takes place as part of the General Assemblies next week in Kigali, Rwanda to collect his fourth consecutive FIA Formula One World Championship trophy.

“While in Kigali he will undertake some work with junior competitors as part of the grassroots development programme organised by the Rwanda Automobile Club (RAC).

“The activity will involve an FIA Affordable Cross Car which was built locally in Rwanda by the RAC from blueprints provided by the FIA.

“Design blueprints for the Level 2 category Affordable Cross Car project have been delivered to the global network of 147 National Sporting Authorities (ASNs).”