Alpine has said it felt compelled to speak out again against online hate and abuse following Franco Colapinto’s collision at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, describing such behaviour as a recurring problem in recent races.
The team’s statement, issued on 27 September, followed a multi-car incident at the first Safety Car restart in Baku. Formula 1 reported that Colapinto locked up and ran deep at Turn 1, colliding with Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly and McLaren driver Lando Norris.
Colapinto received a 10-second penalty from the stewards. As he did not finish the race, Formula 1 said that sanction was converted into a five-place grid penalty for the next round.
Alpine said the reaction online had not been limited to one of its own drivers. It said abuse had also been directed towards members of the wider Formula 1 community, including media figures and racing rivals. The team stressed that errors made while competing at the limit could not justify hateful or abusive comments.
Alpine says condemnation is not aimed at one group
In its statement, Alpine said its condemnation was not directed at a single fanbase, team or driver’s supporters. Instead, it characterised online abuse as a wider issue that should be challenged across the sport.
That distinction is significant in the immediate aftermath of a collision involving Colapinto, Gasly and Norris. The collision sparked debate across social media, but Alpine’s intervention focused on the conduct that followed.
RaceFans reported that Norris, who criticised Colapinto’s driving after the crash, was among those who received abusive messages. Autosport also reported that Gasly and others were targeted. Those reports underline Alpine’s point that the consequences of a contentious on-track moment can spread beyond the driver judged responsible by the stewards.
Alpine said it had raised the issue in previous instances and that the problem had become a regular occurrence in recent races. It said the team stood with Formula 1, the FIA and other teams in seeking to stop it.
Recent incidents provide the backdrop
The Baku statement came amid other reported episodes involving Alpine this season. RaceFans said the FIA had condemned abuse aimed at Gasly after the Spanish Grand Prix, when he was targeted following a brief delay to his team-mate. It also reported that the FIA had defended its stewards after abuse linked to penalties handed to Colapinto at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Autosport similarly reported hostile messages aimed at FIA stewards and Alpine after Colapinto received a drive-through penalty for overtaking under double yellow flags at Zandvoort. It said Gasly had also received abuse after an earlier on-track episode involving his Alpine colleague.
These reports provide context for Alpine’s description of the issue as recurring, while the team’s statement avoided attributing online abuse to a particular group of supporters. Its intervention addressed abuse aimed at people within and beyond its own operation.
Alpine distinguished its condemnation of hateful and abusive comments from its call to encourage healthy sporting rivalry.
Alpine commits to work on responses
Alpine said it would continue working with the championship promoter and rights-holder and the sport’s governing body to discuss ways of tackling online abuse.
The team said that, as a participant and stakeholder in the sport, it had a responsibility both to speak out and to help support efforts to find a solution. It said those discussions should seek to tackle abuse while encouraging healthy sporting rivalry.
Alpine’s stated position therefore combines a public condemnation of abusive conduct with a commitment to engage with the relevant bodies on possible responses. The statement did not present the Baku incident as a reason to single out a driver, team or nationality; instead, Alpine said the standard should apply to all fans of the sport.