Franco Colapinto’s fanbase sparks controversy as fellow F1 drivers face online abuse, prompting strong reactions from the FIA and Alpine.
Colapinto’s return to Formula 1 has already triggered two incidents involving harassment by his fans towards other drivers. The Argentine public, known for its lack of sportsmanship, fiercely defends the Alpine F1 driver, even if it means attacking his rivals.
On Saturday, they targeted Yuki Tsunoda, who had gestured behind Colapinto after being impeded by him. That was too much for Colapinto’s fans, who responded with a barrage of insults and racist remarks. Unfortunately, this was not the only issue at Imola.
After Colapinto’s crash, Jack Doohan and his family became the next targets. A fake account pretending to be his father, Mick Doohan, circulated a doctored image suggesting the Australian mocked Colapinto’s accident. This prompted Jack Doohan to speak out.
His message was clear: he refuses to accept attacks on himself or his father and immediately denounced the creation of a fake Instagram post attributed to his father, which was used to insult his family. “As you can see, the circulating story is completely false.”
“It was fabricated by Argentine supporters who are trying to paint me and my family in a negative light. They edited the original content to make it appear as if my father posted it, which is entirely untrue. Stop harassing my family. I didn’t think it would come to this.”
“If it gets worse, F1 will have to say something”
Upon learning that Colapinto’s fans had targeted Doohan, Tsunoda criticized the indiscriminate attacks: “I heard about it, but to be honest, I think it wasn’t about me, from what I heard. They’re attacking everywhere, and then they go after Jack. Jack didn’t do anything wrong, and they go after him. It’s kind of pointless.”
“It’s normal to be frustrated when there’s traffic, and I’ve felt that many times. I think I have the right to say something, but I didn’t say anything bad or too bad. I was just showing frustration, and that’s it.”
“I know they support the driver from their country, but there’s always a limit to what they can say, I suppose. I’m not saying this because of me or what they say to me, but they said too much to Doohan, and I don’t think he was driving in a dangerous way.”
“It’s great that they have energy, but it just needs to be controlled, and I feel like they could use that energy in a better, more positive way. If this continues and gets worse, then surely at some point, F1 will have to say something.”
Colapinto acknowledged that the fans defending and promoting him are going too far and that this should not come at the expense of respect for his rivals. “I know they are extremely passionate and always very harsh with people.”
“They need to be respectful, and that’s what we all want. There’s a lot of hate on social media, and that’s what I think. So of course, we always try – for all drivers – to stay respectful and keep things calm.”
Jamie Campbell-Walter, who manages Colapinto’s career, also called on the driver’s fans to stop “harassing and being annoying” towards Alpine, as they have continuously criticized the Enstone team when Doohan was behind the wheel.
The FIA Speaks Out Through Ben Sulayem
The response that the drivers had been hoping for came from the FIA, through its president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. He called for calm and condemned the public insults directed at Tsunoda and Doohan.
“Motorsport is founded on competition, passion and dedication, and every racing driver takes to the track representing those values,” Ben Sulayem wrote. “The passion and excitement we feel for our sport should unite us and never be turned into abuse or hatred.”
“I fully support Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto, and I thank them for speaking out against the growing problem of online abuse in motorsport. No one should be subjected to threats, hatred, or discrimination. Abuse and toxicity have no place in our community.”
“Through the ‘United Against Online Abuse’ campaign, we are taking decisive steps to raise awareness, offer support and drive change. We are committed to safeguarding the well-being of everyone in our sport and, together, we can create a safer and more respectful environment for all.”
Alpine Also Urges Argentine Fans to Calm Down
Alpine was quick to address the behavior of its new fans, who joined the team with Colapinto and behaved outrageously during the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix weekend. The team called for an end to the overreactions and a return to normal standards of support, urging fans to stop attacking the new driver’s rivals.
“As an F1 team, we feel fortunate to be part of a global sport that evokes great passion and strong emotions, with an ever-growing fan community that follows with enthusiasm every move of their favorite driver, whether it be a brave overtaking maneuver on track or their style when arriving in the paddock.”
“We encourage everyone to remember that behind the visor of these superhuman athletes, there is a person. An individual with feelings, a family, friends, and loved ones. As a team, we cannot accept online abuse and ask all fans of this sport we love to be kind and respectful.”
Hopefully, this press release, published late on Monday, will have an effect on those concerned, even if they unfortunately seem to have an uncontrollable urge to promote their idol by directly attacking others.
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Tsunoda Shocked by Colapinto Fans as F1 Urged to Act
Yuki Tsunoda has called on Formula 1 to intervene if the racist insults he received online from Franco Colapinto’s fans continue to escalate.
Returning to F1 with Alpine, the Argentine driver was involved in a minor on-track incident with Tsunoda (Red Bull) during the first free practice session of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on Friday. The Japanese driver gestured towards his rival after being impeded during a flying lap.
Colapinto’s fans then took to social media, unleashing a wave of disparaging messages in Spanish aimed at Tsunoda.
Asked about his reaction after qualifying at Imola, where both he and Colapinto crashed out in Q1, Tsunoda said: “I heard about it.”
“To be honest, I suppose it’s not just about me, from what I understand. They’re going after everyone, to be honest. They are also targeting Jack [Doohan], and he didn’t do anything wrong, and they are insulting him. So it’s kind of pointless.”
“In my case, it’s normal to feel frustrated when there’s traffic, and I’ve experienced that many times.”
“I think I have the right to say something. I didn’t say anything bad, or anything particularly bad. I just showed my frustration, and that’s it.”
“I know they support the driver from their country, but there’s always a line that shouldn’t be crossed, I suppose. And I say that not only for myself, but also for Jack.”
“It’s good that they have energy, but it needs to be controlled. I feel like they could use that energy in the right way, in a better way.”
“If it continues and the situation worsens, then at some point Formula 1 will have to say something.”
Franco Colapinto, for his part, also responded yesterday, calling on his fans to remain calm and show more respect.
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Colapinto Urges His Fans to Stay Calm
Last Saturday, Colapinto called for greater respect towards Formula 1 drivers after Yuki Tsunoda was subjected to a wave of abusive messages, including racist insults, following their minor altercation during a free practice session at Imola.
Tsunoda gestured towards Colapinto from his Red Bull after being impeded by the new Alpine driver during a flying lap in Friday’s practice.
This sparked an aggressive reaction from Colapinto’s fans, with insulting messages in Spanish flooding Tsunoda’s Instagram.
“I blocked him during Saturday’s session, he was right,” said Colapinto after qualifying, where both he and Tsunoda crashed out in Q1.
“I blocked quite a few people on Saturday, and the first day with the car, with the team, is always a bit tricky and difficult. And yes, I blocked him. He was probably a bit upset. He has the right to be upset, it’s normal. I didn’t know what the Argentinians had done overnight.”
“I know they are extremely passionate and always very harsh with people. They must show respect, and that is what we all want. There is a lot of hate on social media these days. Of course, we always try, for all the drivers, to maintain respect and calm.”
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