Has Max Verstappen used slurs?

1. The recorded incident in Portimão: what was said and why it matters

During free practice at the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix Verstappen was heard on radio using ableist slurs — reports say he called Lance Stroll a “retard” and a “Mongol” — language that sparked immediate backlash and was characterized in coverage as insulting and offensive to multiple groups ^{[1] [7] [8]}. That single radio outburst became the focal point for criticism because it touched on both disability-related and ethnic terminology, prompting calls for accountability and for F1 to take the issue seriously in the context of its We Race As One equality initiative ^{[3] [7]}.

2. International and institutional response

The reaction went beyond fans and pundits: Mongolia’s representatives complained formally, and the Mongolian government and advocacy groups demanded action and an apology, framing the slur as racist and derogatory ^{[2] [3]}. Motorsport and advocacy organisations used the episode to press dictionary publishers and sports bodies to clarify the harmfulness of such terms and to push for better education and penalties ^{[1] [7]}. Red Bull and figures within the sport said the matter was handled privately with Verstappen, while the FIA’s public response in enforcement was less visible in the sources provided ^{[2] [3]}.

3. Verstappen’s and his camp’s explanations, and differing takes

Verstappen himself described such outbursts as born of anger and disappointment in the heat of the moment, and at times adopted a defiant posture about being judged for a single incident — comments that fueled debate over whether private reprimands were sufficient ^{[8] [7]}. Red Bull management and motorsport figures indicated the issue was discussed internally and urged it should not recur, but opinion pieces and campaigners argued for stronger, public sanctions and education ^{[2] [7] [1]}. The sources show a split between those emphasizing a one-off emotional lapse and those seeing a need for systemic consequences to deter similar language.

4. Later controversies: swearing, punishment and how they differ from slur claims

After 2020 Verstappen continued to be involved in disputes over language — notably in 2024 he was punished for coarse swearing in a press conference and criticised the penalties as excessive — but the later incidents reported focus on profanity and sanctions rather than newly documented uses of racial or ableist slurs by Verstappen ^{[4] [5] [6] [9]}. Coverage of Nelson Piquet’s slur against Lewis Hamilton in 2022 prompted Verstappen to condemn Piquet’s word choice while defending Piquet’s character; those reports do not allege Verstappen used the same racial slur himself but they show how slur controversies in motorsport often intersect through personal relationships and public response ^{[10] [11] [12]}.

5. Bottom line and limits of the record

The factual record in the provided reporting confirms that Verstappen used ableist and derogatory slurs on team radio in October 2020, which provoked formal complaints and sustained criticism ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Subsequent high-profile language controversies involving Verstappen have centred on swearing and disciplinary debates rather than new, independently verified instances of racial slurs by him; the public record in these sources does not provide other documented cases beyond Portimão, and does not show formal, widely publicized punitive action from the FIA specifically for the 2020 slurs in the provided items ^{[7] [2] [4]}. Where sources disagree — campaigners and some officials calling for punitive measures versus teams preferring private handling — that split is plainly visible in the reporting ^{[7] [3]}.