Alpine has issued a statement denouncing the “hate and abuse” published on the Internet after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, in which its driver Franco Colapinto caused an incident with several cars.
colapinto He locked up and went too deep into Turn 1 during the first Safety Car restart at the Baku City Circuit, eliminating both. Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly and the McLaren of Lando Norris.
Subsequently, the stewards imposed a 10-second penalty on the Argentine, which made it a a five place grid drop for the next Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, since he did not finish the race.
With the collision sparking debate on social media, Alpine took to its own official channels on Sunday morning to condemn some of the comments that had been made.
“As a team, we believe it is necessary to speak out once again about online hate and abuse following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix,” Alpine’s statement read.
“It is not only addressed to one of our own drivers, but also to members of the Formula 1 community, including the media, and to our racing counterparts whom we respect, admire and against whom we delight in competing at the pinnacle of motorsport.
“Mistakes happen when you push your limits and no matter the result, no one should be subjected to hateful or abusive comments.
“Condemning abuse on social media is not directed at any particular fan or followers of a team or driver, this is universal and must be reported and recognized by all sports fans.
“As we have said on previous occasions, we strongly condemn the reaction of some fans online and stand in solidarity with Formula 1, the FIA and other teams in wanting to eradicate it. It has become a common occurrence in recent races and cannot be tolerated.
“We know that as proud participants and stakeholders in the sport, we have a responsibility to speak up and also help find a solution.
“We will continue to work closely with the championship promoter and rights holder, and the governing body to discuss ways to tackle online abuse and encourage the healthy sporting rivalry, for which Formula 1 is famous and what makes it so special.”