Martin Brundle believes Max Verstappen's war of words with the FIA over swearing is "wasted energy" and that he ought to remember the "responsibility" that comes with being an F1 driver.
Martin Brundle has questioned why Max Verstappen is "allowing himself to get distracted" by his fight with the FIA over the use of inappropriate language in F1.
The Dutchman was ordered to partake "some work of public interest", akin to community service, after saying the F-word during the FIA drivers' press conference on Thursday of the Singapore Grand Prix.
Hours prior to the incident, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem had voiced his dissatisfaction with the use of bad language in F1, which Verstappen was also outspoken about.
After the 26-year-old's stewards-mandated punishment, Verstappen took to limiting his answers in subsequent press conferences, and opted to stage his own impromptu media scrums inside the F1 paddock instead.
To some, it overshadowed an excellent weekend on track for the three-time drivers' champion, and Brundle worries the off-track storm could serve as a distraction in the midst of his title fight with Lando Norris.
"I'm not sure why Max is allowing himself to get distracted and dragged into the swearing battle with the FIA," the former F1 driver wrote for Sky Sports F1.
"It's wasted energy and serves no good purpose for him, but he still largely wouldn't answer questions in the press conference post race."
