(Motorsport-Total.com) – Once again, there was a case of hostility and hate online in Formula 1: Both the governing body FIA and the Alpine team were affected after Franco Colapinto was given two penalties at the Formula 1 race in Zandvoort over the weekend.
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Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) both received a drive-through penalty for an overtaking maneuver under double waved yellow flags in lap 1 of the race, after Max Verstappen crashed into the wall in the final steep corner.
When the yellow flags were shown, Colapinto completed an overtaking maneuver against Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda at the exit of the last corner, while Lindblad slipped past Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in the slipstream before crossing the start-finish line – after both drivers had previously been forced to avoid debris.
“Car 43 (Colapinto; editor’s note) was behind car 22 when entering turn 14 and overtook car 22 in the sector with double yellow flags before the line at the end of lap 1,” reads the race stewards’ verdict on Colapinto.
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“Normally, such an offense requires a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, but the race stewards acknowledge the complications caused by the significant amount of debris on the track at that time and consider this as mitigating circumstances.”
For Lindblad, the race stewards issued an identically worded verdict.
Colapinto considered his penalty “extremely harsh,” as he overtook Tsunoda a fraction of a second after the yellow flags were shown. However, according to the literal wording of the regulations, the penalties for both drivers were clear cases, as the governing body takes safety-related violations particularly seriously.
Sponsor pours oil on the fire
Colapinto’s Argentine sponsor Mercado Libre went much further on social media and questioned the integrity of the FIA race stewards. “The race stewards are destroying the integrity of F1. This season they have proven to be terrible and influence race results,” said Sean Summers, Chief Marketing Officer of Mercado Libre.
“Incompetence? Dishonesty? Both? There is seriously something wrong in the culture of this organization.”
The sponsor’s inflammatory comments further fueled the flames on social media, after which the FIA race stewards received insults and threats. Alpine’s social media channels were also targeted because a vocal subgroup of Argentine fans felt the team did not support Colapinto sufficiently in this case.
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On Monday, Alpine stated: “We have full trust in the FIA and the race stewards when it comes to monitoring these rules and imposing sporting penalties during a live race scenario.”
“We believe that the penalties imposed for violations of the yellow flag in the opening laps of the Dutch Grand Prix were indeed harsh, but acknowledge that they were appropriate according to the letter of the law, applied consistently to all competitors, and something we as a team analyze and learn from.”
FIA condemns hate comments
It is assumed that the FIA, which launched the campaign United Against Online Abuse to combat online hate in sport, is considering legal action.
It issued the following statement: “Following the Dutch Grand Prix, FIA race stewards became targets of online hate after imposing sporting penalties in accordance with FIA regulations.”
“The association United Against Online Abuse condemns any form of abuse and harassment. Disagreement with decisions is part of sport but can never justify threats or personal attacks.”
“In 2023, the FIA founded the association United Against Online Abuse after a race steward was subjected to targeted hostility following the US Grand Prix. We urge everyone involved in our sport to do so online and offline with respect and responsibility.”
Among the toxic insults hurled at the FIA was the suggestion that Colapinto was penalized because of his nationality – linked to a perceived bias against non-British drivers.
Lindblad, who received an identical penalty for a very similar offense, is British.
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