Leclerc jokes about Verstappen's penalty: 'I'd like to avoid that!'

Charles Leclerc has joked about Max Verstappen's community service penalty when appearing on an Italian talk show with his Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur. The man from Monaco was cautious with his choice of words on the show.

Verstappen said the word 'f***ed' during an FIA press conference ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix. The Dutchman was describing his car's performance during the previous race weekend in Baku. The stewards slapped Verstappen with a community service style penalty.

Many of the F1 drivers have rallied around Verstappen since the penalty was awarded. That includes his 2024 rival Lando Norris, and his biggest rival, Lewis Hamilton, even publically advised Verstappen not to carry out the penalty. The punishment came after FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem announced his plea to take stricter action when drivers swear.

Despite the incident now being several weeks ago, it remains a talking point in the world of Formula 1. It cropped up again on an Italian talk show. Leclerc appeared with his team boss Fred Vasseur and was warned by the presenter: "If you say a wrong word, you will get a community service penalty like Verstappen." To which Leclerc replied, "Exactly, and I would like to avoid that." Watch the clip below.