Franco Colapinto: "No one" talks about how I receive social media abuse following Baku clash
· Yahoo Sports
Franco Colapinto has claimed that “no one ever talks about” how he also receives lots of social media abuse, following the fallout to his clash at the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
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The Alpine driver locked up from deep into Turn 1 at a safety car restart in Baku last weekend, colliding into team-mate Pierre Gasly and McLaren’s Lando Norris.
It caused an angry Norris who, before watching a replay of the incident, called for drivers to receive race bans when they make mistakes that cause a pile-up like Colapinto did.
That prompted lots of social media abuse aimed at the reigning world champion and it was largely from Colapinto’s fans in his native Argentina - not the first time that has happened.
Alpine therefore put out a statement condemning such hatred, and it’s the fourth time the French marque has done such a thing ever since Colapinto joined the team at the start of 2025.
But the 23-year-old issued a reminder that he isn’t exempt from such abuse and that it is a much wider issue that goes beyond the fallout to last weekend’s grand prix.
“My message is always the same,” he said on Thursday at Sepang. “Sometimes, they don't realise what you can create by writing on your keyboard. We are all very sensible, we are humans.
Franco Colapinto, Alpine, Lando Norris, McLaren, Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Franco Colapinto, Alpine, Lando Norris, McLaren, Pierre Gasly, Alpine“It's not easy for us when we get these kind of things. I think it always goes to Argentinians. I think we miss that it doesn't come only from Argentinians.
“It comes a lot from them, I fully agree, [but] it doesn't just come from them. They are extremely passionate and they support me a lot. It's bad. They are bad many times.
“But it comes from all the world and from many other fanbases. I don't know if we are not seeing it. I get loads of it. No one ever talks about it.
“I mean, it's fine, especially because I don't look at social media too much, I don't go into it, but I know it affects a lot of people and a lot of drivers and a lot of athletes more than me.
“I hope that they improve. I've been asking it for a long time, it's tricky for us drivers to control it. I think we are the ones to not feel it more.
“But we are also really struggling to improve the situation by ourselves, because we tried.
"For me, it's been since last year that I've been talking about it. I am doing my best, but it's tricky to change.”
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Franco Colapinto, AlpineColapinto therefore reckons that drivers should ‘work together’ to improve the situation – and be careful with what they say.
“I think he was in the heat of the moment,” the Argentine added. “Of course, he knows what comments create because he suffered from it.
“He was probably the driver that was speaking the most about hate a couple of years ago, just a few seasons ago.
“So, I was a bit surprised, but then, of course, he apologised. Unfortunately, he also got a lot of hate from it. It's a tricky situation with the outside world.
“That's why I think we need to be safe inside with the things we say. I understand it, in the heat of the moment, to say things like that.”
F1 is hosting the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia this weekend and Colapinto is taking separate five-place and 10-place grid penalties for his Baku error and an engine change.
Read Also: Franco Colapinto handed extra grid penalty at F1 Bahrain GP Franco Colapinto: I have full support from Alpine F1 boss Flavio BriatoreTo read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.