Journo Calls Fred Vasseur ‘A Chuckling Buffoon’ After Charles Leclerc Insult Got Him Banned From F1

F1 journalist Jonathan McEvoy has gone on the offensive after the FIA banned him from the final three rounds of the 2026 F1 season for insulting Charles Leclerc after the Mexican GP. The Daily Mail’s motor racing correspondent has accused Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur of reporting him to the authorities, as he called the Frenchman a ‘chuckling buffoon’.

“That tubby little nobody called Fred Vasseur, the Ferrari team principal, had grassed on me, it seems. A chuckling buffoon well out of his depth at the world’s most prestigious team, he is a prickly character and I don’t like him and he doesn’t like me,” wrote McEvoy.

“He is the only thoroughly rude individual I have met across the nearly 400 grands prix I have attended. I have, as you may have detected, pointed out some of his shortcomings,” he added.

This whole saga stems from McEvoy’s piece on Leclerc’s fight with teammate Lewis Hamilton at the Mexican GP in October, where he dubbed the Monegasque driver a ‘sneaky little b******’ in the headline. The British journalist has now defended this, saying that the nature of his column was ‘half-humorous’ as he took Hamilton’s side in the battle between the Ferrari drivers.

FIA revoked McEvoy’s accreditation for the remaining three rounds of the 2026 F1 season since the insulting piece on Leclerc came out.

McEvoy Told His Charles Leclerc Article Falls Short of Expected ‘Standards of Professionalism’

According to The Athletic, the letter sent by the FIA’s general manager, Alberto Villarreal, to McEvoy confirming his ban stated that his column fell short of the ‘standards of professionalism’ expected from the media in F1.

“The FIA considers that your article falls short of the standards of professionalism expected of media representatives accredited to cover the FIA Formula One World Championship.

Accordingly, the FIA has decided to exercise its discretion under the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship Accreditation Guidelines to withdraw your media accreditation for the remainder of the 2026 season, with immediate effect,” read the letter.

Meanwhile, McEvoy claimed Villarreal told him that he was banned for the remaining three races of the season with ‘great regret’. The journalist has also claimed that the FIA representative stated the remaining rounds are only ‘dead rubber’ as both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships are already decided, and his accreditation will be restored for 2027.

McEvoy even claimed that Villarreal informed him that he is well liked by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Formula One Group CEO Stefano Domenicali.

Incidentally, Ben Sulayem told The Drive in October that the FIA holds the right to ban journalists if they believe that any of them are abusive towards the drivers. This has now been implemented for the first time since the comment.

McEvoy Defends His Article Against Charles Leclerc After Ban: ‘Journalism Is About Freedom of Expression’

McEvoy has defended his article about Leclerc that got him banned from the final three rounds of the 2026 F1 season, saying that ‘journalism is about freedom of expression’. He claimed that as a journalist, he can never be wrong, and people can just disagree with his point of view.

“It was neither the best piece nor the worst I ever wrote. But journalism is about freedom of expression. It is the whole point of the trade,” McEvoy wrote.

“You can’t be wrong; only people can disagree with you. And how brittle are they, people like Vasseur, that took exception to a few words, in a joshing column, almost light-hearted, and they react like this? Paid millions for their work, stellar and expert work, and stopped for selfies everywhere they go.

“But one expression of criticism, spoken tongue-in-cheek, and they squeal this loudly!” he added.

McEvoy added that he is not claiming to be ‘right’, but was only sharing his view on what transpired in Mexico City. Meanwhile, the Daily Mail’s head of sport, Chris Dean, has defended McEvoy in a statement to The Athletic, saying that the ban is ‘an unprecedented and outrageous attack on the freedom of the press’. He also described McEvoy’s comments about Leclerc as ‘mild and fair’.

More F1 Reading

• ‘Wouldn’t Want To Comment’: Charles Leclerc Refuses To Weigh In on Lewis Hamilton Question
• Kimi Antonelli Names the Driver He Expects To Be Biggest Challenge in 2027 F1 Title Chase
• ‘It Wasn’t That Bad’: Toto Wolff Pushes Back Against Mercedes’ Winless Period Criticism
• Mika Häkkinen Laps Laguna Seca in McLaren’s Only Le Mans-Winning Car, the 1995 F1 GTR