Many drivers these days seem to be weighing their words on a gold scale. This is a necessity, as those who spill the beans risk fines from the FIA, ridicule on social media, and the ever-watchful cameras of Drive to Survive. “Being fast and winning races is not enough to succeed in motorsport,” says communication expert Alexandra Schieren.
Alexandra Schieren has been working in the motorsport world for nearly thirty years. For many years, she was a prominent figure in the Formula 1 paddock, as a media delegate for the FIA and subsequently as head of F1 communication for tyre supplier Pirelli. Nowadays, she runs her own sports communication agency bearing her name and guides young talented drivers in the field of media. Her most important advice to them? “Dare to be yourself.”
‘Spy Gate, Lie Gate, Singapore Gate, Mosley Gate’
During her time at the FIA, Schieren developed into an expert in crisis communication, she notes with slight irony. She had to deal with various scandals. “Spy Gate, Lie Gate, Singapore Gate, Mosley Gate and many more challenging situations.”
Schieren now follows Formula 1 more from the sidelines, occasionally marveling at certain decisions. Such as the decision to heavily penalize swearing. A first offense this season carries a fine of 40,000 euros, a repeat offense requires 80,000 euros to be paid, and a third incident carries an even heavier sanction: 120,000 euros, a one-month suspension, and possible deduction of World Championship points.
“Everyone agrees that there should be a certain way in which drivers behave, especially in a popular class like Formula 1 with a large reach, certainly among young people. But the drivers are adults,” Schieren begins.
‘No Harm Done’
“There’s a big difference between insulting someone and saying something like ‘I fucked up my car‘ or ‘My car is fucked‘. With that, you’re not offending anyone and it’s not aggressive. Moreover, as a sport, you don’t want robots behind the wheel, but to see emotions. That’s why people watch sports. As a viewer, you want to know what the drivers under that helmet really think, really feel. And if they feel muzzled and all start saying the same thing, they don’t need to give interviews anymore. In the past, drivers were fined if they got out of the car after a race and started fighting with each other. Logical. But a fine nowadays if someone says the car is ‘fucked‘? Forgive me, but I think you’re not hurting anyone with that.”
The community service that Max Verstappen received last year in Singapore for using the ‘F-word’, Alexandra Schieren, in her role as a PR expert in motorsport, calls disproportionate. According to her, the sport has mainly shot itself in the foot because of all the negative publicity that followed. “Many fans reacted negatively, also because they didn’t understand it.”
‘Max Verstappen as an Example’
According to Schieren, it’s good that there are drivers who still dare to speak out and who are themselves under all circumstances. In other words, silence is silver, speech is gold. And not the other way around.
“I happened to provide training to a young driver yesterday, who indicated that Max is his example. Not only because of his way of driving, but even more because of how outspoken he always is. And believe me, this is not the first time I hear something like this from young drivers. Certainly, the new generation must dare to be themselves and continue to speak out, of course within certain limits.”
The result of the imposed penalty is that Max now tends to be more reserved in press conferences…
“And that’s a shame. Just like in any other sport, Formula 1 also has a self-regulation mechanism. If a driver goes too far, he loses sponsors, a seat, or feels the consequences in another way. As FIA, you have to look at the big picture and not do micromanagement.”
