The repercussions of the accident-prone Azerbaijan Grand Prix are still being felt within Alpine. After the multiple collision involving Franco Colapinto, Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris and the tension that spilled over to social media, the team issued another statement to condemn the episodes of digital aggression.
The new statement comes just days after comments from Flavio Briatore, the team's executive advisor, who had criticized fans and Argentine media for the attacks received by Gasly and even warned that he might limit Argentine press access to the driver's activities.
Following that stance, which generated numerous criticisms, the French team has now chosen to broaden the focus of its message. The team stated that the episodes of violence on social media have not only affected its members but also journalists, drivers, and other members of the Formula 1 community. "Errors occur when competing at the limit and, regardless of the outcome or result, no one should be the target of hateful comments or insults", the team expressed in the statement.
One of the central points of the text was precisely to clarify that the rejection of the behavior of some users is not intended to target a nationality or the followers of a particular driver. "Condemning the abuse on social media is not aimed at any specific fan base or the followers of a particular team or driver; it is a universal problem that must be denounced and recognized by all fans of this sport", they emphasized.
"As we have said on previous occasions, we strongly condemn the reaction of some fans on the Internet and stand in solidarity with Formula 1, the FIA, and the other teams in their desire to eradicate this phenomenon. It has become a common occurrence in recent races and cannot be tolerated", they added.
In that vein, Alpine acknowledged the duty that various stakeholders in the category have to try to curb this type of behavior and stated: "We know that, as proud participants and stakeholders in this sport, we have the responsibility to raise our voices and contribute to finding a solution".
"We will continue to work closely with the championship promoter, the rights holder, and the governing body to discuss ways to address online abuse and promote healthy sporting rivalry, for which Formula 1 is famous and that makes it so special", they concluded.
When Colapinto returns to racing
After his unfortunate participation in Azerbaijan, the Argentine will seek to recover next weekend at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Due to the current geopolitical tension in the Middle East, Formula 1 decided that instead of taking place at the Sakhir circuit, the action will move to the Sepang circuit, Malaysia, although the competition will retain its original name due to the commercial agreements that the category has with the Bahraini government. The activity will kick off on Friday, October 2 with the first free practices and will conclude on Sunday, October 4 with the main race.
