Max Verstappen will fulfill his FIA-mandated community service punishment in Rwanda next week while attending the governing body’s annual awards ceremony. The penalty stems from the Red Bull driver’s use of inappropriate language during a press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix in September.
Verstappen, who recently clinched his fourth Formula 1 world title, protested the initial penalty by giving brief responses at subsequent FIA press conferences and holding his own media sessions in the paddock.
The FIA has scheduled the 2023 Awards Ceremony to take place in Kigali, Rwanda, on December 13. As a world champion, Verstappen must attend, along with runner-up Lando Norris and third-placed Charles Leclerc.
While in Kigali, Verstappen will participate in a grassroots motorsport development program organized by the Rwanda Automobile Club. The initiative includes working with junior competitors and an FIA Affordable Cross Car, a locally-built vehicle designed using FIA blueprints.
In a statement following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the FIA detailed Verstappen’s “work of public interest” duty:
“Max Verstappen will undertake activities with junior competitors as part of the grassroots development program organized by the Rwanda Automobile Club. This initiative involves an FIA Affordable Cross Car, constructed locally in Rwanda. The design blueprints for the Affordable Cross Car project have been distributed to the FIA’s 147 National Sporting Authorities worldwide.”
This is not the first time Verstappen has been tasked with community service by the FIA. Following an on-track confrontation with Esteban Ocon at the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix, Verstappen shadowed stewards at the 2019 Marrakech Formula E event and later attended a stewards’ seminar in Geneva.
The Kigali program underscores the FIA’s commitment to promoting grassroots motorsport while reinforcing its stance on professional conduct within the sport.
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