Mohammed Ben Sulayem has scrapped the FIA’s controversial guidelines on drivers swearing after uproar from F1 stars. Under the Emirati’s previous set of rules, drivers were liable for a £33,700 fine for their first swearing offence, £75,400 for a repeat offence, and £113,000 plus a one-month ban and a points deduction for a third offence.

F1 stars collectively wrote an open letter to the governing body in November asking that they be ‘treated like adults’. And they have finally got their wish. Ben Sulayem and co. have cast aside the old rules on swearing and set out considerably more lenient punishment terms.

Per the new guidelines issued to stewards on Wednesday, drivers are now liable to pay just £4,200 for a first swearing offence, and there is no danger of a ban or a points deduction. However, they have still been warned that stricter penalties could be applied for ‘very serious offences’.

George Russell will undoubtedly be pleased that, as the head of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), his demands were heard. Earlier this month he called the FIA into action after Ben Sulayem indicated in a social media post that he was ‘considering’ changes to the swearing guidelines.

“It’s being considered,” said Russell. “The words don’t mean anything until the change has been made. Collectively, we’ve not spoken any further since the open letter that was sent out.

“Whether that is the response I’m not too sure. It would be great if changes were made and the drivers were at least heard and it’s in the best interests of the sport, and ensuring some common sense is applied to it. We can comment on it when we see the action rather than the consideration.”

Charles Leclerc was fined £8,420 for swearing in a press conference after the Mexico City Grand Prix last year. Prior to that, Max Verstappen was handed an even stricter punishment for doing the same thing.

The Dutchman was ordered to carry out a form of F1 community service, which involved him working with junior motorsport competitors at grassroots level in Rwanda, after swearing in a press conference in Singapore.

The new FIA guidelines make a distinction between swearing in ‘controlled’ environments, such as a press conference, and ‘uncontrolled’ environments’, such as in the cockpit. Using foul language in ‘controlled’ environments will, in general, incur a stricter penalty.

Jack Draper was ‘disappointed’ in his Italian Open defeat to Carlos Alcaraz and downbeat about how he fared ‘from a mental and emotional point of view’. The Brit came down hard on himself in a frank assessment of his efforts after losing 6-4 6-4 in the quarter-finals in Rome.

It’s been all go for Draper over the past three weeks. He played six matches in Madrid, where he lost to Casper Ruud in the final, and then had only five days to recover before he was back out on the clay against Luciano Darderi in Italy. Draper made light work of his first two opponents, but his three-set win over Corentin Moutet on Tuesday was a taxing affair.

The very next day he went up against one of the most physical players on tour. And despite going toe-to-toe with Alcaraz for spells of their quarter-final showdown, he ultimately came up short against the third seed.

“I obviously lost to a great player today,” Draper admitted. “I’m very disappointed with the way I performed in a way, I think from a mental and emotional point of view. Like, obviously, you could say that’s normal, I’ve had a tough four weeks. I don’t want to be normal. I want to be right up there.”

Draper repeatedly screamed ‘f***’ during his attempt to break Alcaraz’s serve early in the second set, having been broken himself moments prior.

He added: “It hurts a lot, this kind of loss. But like I said, Carlos played a really good match and he was the better player. I have to accept that, go back to the drawing board, really prepare well for the French Open, know that I’m hopefully going to have many more chances against these great players.”

Draper has made a superb start to the season, reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open, the final of the Qatar Open, winning at Indian Wells and then reaching the final in Madrid.

Although he found his loss to Alcaraz tough to stomach, the 23-year-old still found reason to feel positive ahead of the season’s second Grand Slam at Roland-Garros.

“Yeah, I mean, I’ve been playing some really good stuff,” he said. “I’m really proud of the way I’ve approached the clay season, especially so far. Obviously, I’ve had some good results. It’s hard to keep on going, but I know that if I want to be a top, top player, I have to be consistent week in, week out.

Justine Henin was not surprised by Novak Djokovic‘s decision to part ways with Andy Murray after just six months.

The veteran Serb began working with Murray ahead of the Australian Open but it was confirmed on Tuesday that they had split.

“I’m not surprised about this decision, we can speak about the timing of it,” Henin told TNT Sports.

“We thought maybe they would have been going to Wimbledon together.

“This is what they said after the Australian Open: ‘Let’s speak about it and if we still want to collaborate’. But did they really expect something? Both of them?

“What is certain is Djokovic knew Andy Murray would be helpful, but it was also to bring something fresh, some power.

“Telling himself: ‘With Andy Murray, I have to find this motivation, to offer him my motivation’.

“He probably thinks about this, about this motivation, and that’s why he has taken this decision now.”