May 20 (GMM) F1’s governing body, and the Alpine team, have slammed the personal abuse and threats being aimed at new Argentine Formula 1 driver Franco Colapinto’s rivals.
When Jack Doohan lost his race seat to 21-year-old Colapinto after Miami, his famous father Mick Doohan shared a social media ‘story’ showing that Jack’s 2025 statistics stacked up quite well against teammate Pierre Gasly.
Motorcycling legend Mick told the Spanish broadcaster DAZN at Imola that he did it to “make a point,” adding a quip that Alpine now seems to be a “customer team” open to drivers whose sponsors are able to pay the most.
That sparked a firestorm of abuse from Argentine fans on social media – that only got worse when a fake Mick Doohan Instagram account shared an image of Colapinto’s Imola crash with the caption “Very impressive”.
“Please stop harassing my family,” Jack Doohan has now pleaded to the abusive Argentine fans on social media.
Alpine reacted by issuing a statement condemning the “online abuse”, reminding F1 fans that “behind the visor of these superhuman athletes there is a person”.
Colapinto re-posted the Alpine statement, and separately also urged his Argentine fans to lay off the abuse of another F1 driver – Yuki Tsunoda.
Tsunoda gave Colapinto the middle finger after he was blocked at Imola, and revealed that he was then subjected to the online Argentine hostility.
“I’m saying this not because of what they say to me, they say too much about Doohan, right?” the Japanese said. “I don’t think he was driving in a comfortable way.
“It’s good that they have energy, but just control it,” he added. “I feel like they can use the energy in a better way.”
To Colapinto’s credit, he admits he “blocked” Tsunoda in Imola practice, defending the Racing Bulls driver’s “right” to be annoyed.
“I blocked quite a lot of people,” he added. “It was just the first day with the car, with the team.
“I don’t know what the Argentine fans did. Argentines are extremely passionate people and are always very tough on others. But they have to show respect, and that’s what we all want.”
Also wading into the affair is FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who has pushed hard on a campaign against online abuse long before the latest incidents.
“I stand in full support of Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto,” he said, “and I thank them for speaking out against the growing issue of online abuse in motorsport.”
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