Max Verstappen is damaging his own marketability ahead of United States GP

Max Verstappen stands in an avalanche of controversy entirely of his own making.

The Dutch driver, peerless in his all-conquering Red Bull during the past three years, has found himself caught in the eye of a storm. And all because of a few words that, without question, crossed the line.

The row over what can and can't be said between the driver and team bosses has escalated into a more serious matter after the 26-year-old swore during a press conference.

We're now at the point ahead of the US Grand Prix where there is a stand-off-one that threatens to overshadow the whole event. In some respects, this is a vexed issue.

If you want to bring the paying public closer to the action by opening up the airwaves to what is said between the driver and his team, is it reasonable to expect them to converse without swearing? However this is dressed up, F1 is an elite sport.

It's for top drivers, working with the brightest brains, and the goal is to send cars in competition around a circuit in the quickest time. It's not a playground.

This is an adult contest with big prizes at stake, in terms of reputation, brand-building and all the associated spin-offs for the manufacturers.

For those who sit in the cockpit, it's an Alpha male environment. It is. There is no use pretending otherwise.

Under those conditions, can the paying public expect that drivers won't cuss or say the odd word out of place during the heat of battle?

Every adult with a driving license, I can guarantee, has uttered a few choice words after they've been on the wrong end of someone changing lanes without indicating or cutting them up.

Should F1 drivers, operating in the stifling conditions they do, be any different?

I'll be honest here. I'm actually surprised at how Verstappen, Lando Norris, George Russell and the rest of them manage to restrain themselves.

Perhaps that is because it is wasted air. It adds nothing. When split seconds count, why lengthen the message unnecessarily with expletives?

Here's a potential solution. Can the broadcasters vet - and perhaps put a delay - on the conversations aired between driver and his teams?

If they do cross the line, then they simply aren't put out to the public?

As for press conferences, that's a different matter. There is no pressing need to swear. The drivers are relaxed, under no pressure - they are selling the event by speaking.

Now, Verstappen is a grown man. Not a child. He doesn't need to be sent to the naughty step.

He just needs to be reminded of his responsibilities and that he is a role model. His vocabulary - even in English - is more than sufficient to cope without swearing.

F1 wants to be accessible to all. It can't be if drivers are effing and jeffing all over the place.

It's time for the FIA to show what you might label - a soft-handed approach - and coax one of their headline assets back into the fold.

While also amending the rules surrounding what can and cannot be said in the public arena of a press briefing.

This mountain of controversy needs to be turned back into a molehill.

It just needs a dollop of sensitivity, a gentle approach and a few tweaks to the regulations.

Verstappen doesn't need to be hung out to dry. But he also needs to appreciate his standing in the sport and everything that goes with it - he's actually damaging his own marketability.

Surely, with all that's going on in the world, it's not too much to ask for this to be handled in a mature and sensible way?