F1 faces accusations of censoring jokes during the London launch event.

      "It’s the individuals surrounding them who are anxious."

      Comedian Jack Whitehall has exposed the strict oversight Formula 1 maintains over jokes and references at the sport’s prominent live launch event that took place earlier this year. On Chris Moyles’ Radio X show, Whitehall mentioned that his script for the London season launch was "heavily monitored" - so much so that even a light-hearted joke about George Russell needed direct consent from the Mercedes driver. "In that F1 show, I had a line where I compared him to the TikTok trainspotter," Whitehall shared. "My script was heavily monitored - everything was scrutinized. They insisted on no Bernie jokes and that Flavio Briatore not be mentioned. Everything got cut."

      One mild joke about Russell managed to last for a short time - until Formula 1’s officials stepped in. "There was one George Russell joke they told me, ’Yeah, you can’t do that’," he recounted. "I said, ’I’m sure he’ll find it amusing.’ They replied that I needed to get his approval first." What came next, Whitehall confessed, was surreal. "They said, ’Yes, you can send a voice note telling the joke to his team, and they’ll relay it to George’," he continued. "So I sent a voice note: ’Hi George, since you’ll be at this show, I’m just asking for your permission,’ and I told the joke. He responded, ’Yeah, absolutely fine.’ They all possess a sense of humor - it’s the people around them who are anxious."

      Whitehall further criticized Formula 1’s increasingly strict media atmosphere. "You see drivers being interviewed everywhere, and the team has someone next to them recording everything, even when you’re already capturing it," he pointed out. "It doesn’t make any sense. Yet that person earns 42,000 pounds a year and travels globally."

      In spite of the criticism, F1 icon Gerhard Berger defended Liberty Media’s management of the sport in La Repubblica. "I might be a bit old-fashioned, but that doesn’t matter," Berger stated. "Formula 1 is in exceptionally good shape, more than ever before. Liberty Media and Stefano Domenicali are doing an excellent job utilizing the new communication tools, Netflix, and film. I’m eager to see how far this modernization of the sport will progress."