Verstappen set to serve swearing penalty in Rwanda

Formula One world champion Max Verstappen will serve a penalty for swearing when he visits Rwanda this week to collect his winner's trophy.

Verstappen, who secured his fourth successive championship in Las Vegas last month, was ordered by the governing FIA to do "work of public interest'' after swearing in a Singapore Grand Prix press conference in September.

The FIA's prize-giving gala is in Kigali this week, a first for the governing body.

FIA said after the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that the Red Bull driver "would undertake some work with junior competitors as part of the grassroots development programme (sic) organised by the Rwanda Automobile Club".

The activity will involve an FIA Affordable Cross Car built locally from blueprints provided by the governing body.

The Dutch driver collected a 10-second penalty in Sunday's season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after a first-lap collision with McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri.

Verstappen later apologised to Piastri, but he was less complimentary about the stewards who gave him the time penalty and two penalty points on his licence.

The 27-year-old now has a total of eight points for the 12-month period, with 12 triggering an automatic one-race ban.

"Could we ask for 20 seconds, stupid idiots," he said over the radio, a reference to the two 10-second penalties he received in Mexico in October.