M8 driver Adrien Fourmaux received a €10,000 fine and a suspended €20,000 penalty for using profanity during a live-streamed interview at Rally Sweden's power stage. The incident occurred after he finished fifth in the final stage, salvaging a single point from a challenging weekend.

The French driver had been in contention for victory until Saturday, when he lost time after forgetting to fasten his helmet and later became stuck in a snowbank. Running first on Sunday's snowy stages further complicated his rally.

The stewards found his post-stage comment violated Article 12.2.1.l of the 2025 FIA International Sporting Code. While acknowledging Fourmaux's immediate apology and noting English wasn't his native language, they emphasized the importance of maintaining appropriate language in public broadcasts.

Mitigating factors in the penalty decision included:

• First-time offense
• Non-native English speaker using colloquial expression
• Self-referential comment without intent to offend
• Immediate recognition and apology
• Voluntary public apology on social media

This incident follows the FIA's recent stricter stance on driver conduct and language across all sanctioned championships. The governing body can now impose fines, month-long bans, and point deductions for inappropriate behavior or criticism. This policy gained attention in late 2024 when F1 Champion Max Verstappen faced sanctions for similar language use during a Singapore GP press conference.

The International Sporting Code now includes specific guidelines for misconduct penalties, with fines varying based on championship level, Formula 1 carrying the highest penalties.

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