Alpine have issued an Alpine online abuse statement condemning renewed hate directed at their driver and the wider Formula 1 community after Franco Colapinto’s crash at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Colapinto lost control at a safety car restart in Baku, triggering a collision that took both Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris out of the race. Alpine’s response landed within hours of the chequered flag.
It isn’t the first time this year the team has had to speak out. Colapinto, who agreed a new Alpine contract extension back in August, has become the focal point of a pattern Alpine say has become far too regular for comfort.
Alpine Release Official Statement Following Azerbaijan Grand Prix Crash
The statement was released in direct response to the Baku incident but goes further than one race weekend. Alpine say the abuse aimed at Colapinto has spread to touch stewards, journalists and rival teams too, and that enough is enough.
“As a team, we feel it’s necessary to speak out once more about the hate and abuse online following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix,” the team said. The message was addressed to abuse aimed at Colapinto directly, and Alpine extended it to cover media, race officials and rival drivers they say they respect and admire deeply within the sport. “Mistakes happen when racing at the limit and no matter the result or outcome, nobody should be subject to hateful or abusive comments,” the statement added.
Official Details and Team Condemnation of Social Media Toxicity
Alpine were clear that this isn’t about defending one driver against rival fans. “Condemning abuse on social media is not aimed at any one fan base or the supporters of one team or driver, this is universal and should be called out and recognised to all fans of the sport,” the team said, according to the official Motorsport.com report on Alpine’s statement.
The team went further still, pointing to a wider pattern across the championship. “As we have said in previous instances, we strongly condemn the reaction of some fans online and stand in solidarity with Formula One, the FIA, and other teams in wanting to stamp it out,” Alpine said. “It has become a regular occurrence in recent races and cannot be condoned.”
Squad Impact and Racing Incidents Involving Colapinto and Gasly
This season’s flashpoints have piled up quickly. Colapinto was handed a drive-through penalty in Zandvoort for overtaking under double yellow flags, and that decision triggered heavy abuse directed at FIA stewards and at Alpine itself. In Madrid, Pierre Gasly’s recent performances haven’t shielded him from the same toxicity: he received threats targeting his family after briefly holding up Colapinto rather than letting him past.
Colapinto himself has spoken about the tone around the team this year. Asked about the abuse Gasly faced, he called it “not nice to see”. Baku added another layer. Lando Norris, one of the drivers caught up in the restart crash, said whoever caused it should get “at least a one-race ban”, though that remains his personal view rather than any FIA sanction.
FIA Recommendations and Timeline for Tackling Online Abuse
The Alpine online abuse statement doesn’t set out a firm deadline or a fixed plan, but it does commit the team to working with the sport’s authorities. “We know as a proud participant and stakeholder in the sport, we hold a responsibility to speak out and also help support in finding a solution,” Alpine said. “We will continue to work closely with the championship promoter and rights-holder, and the governing body to discuss ways in which to tackle online abuse and encourage healthy sporting rivalry, which Formula One is renowned for and what makes it so special.”
That leaves the practical next steps for the FIA and Formula One’s rights-holder to work out, with Alpine positioning themselves as pushing for action rather than waiting on it. Crash.net’s coverage of the statement notes Norris has also been targeted online since Baku, underlining just how far this problem now reaches beyond one driver.
