Colapinto tells fans: abuse 'not helping me or my future' — SkimNews
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- Franco Colapinto posted a video asking fans to stop attacking other drivers, team-mates, mechanics, and engineers, saying 'you're not helping me or my future' — a shift from his earlier framing of online abuse as a broader societal issue.
- Alpine have issued multiple statements condemning online hate since Colapinto joined in 2025, most recently after Lando Norris received abuse following his critical comments about a Colapinto-caused crash at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix; Norris later apologized for those comments.
- Jack Doohan faced 'major hostility' from the start of the 2025 season before Alpine replaced the Australian after just six rounds with Colapinto, while team-mate Pierre Gasly called threats he received after the September Spanish Grand Prix 'disturbing.'
- FIA race stewards were abused after Colapinto received a penalty at the Dutch Grand Prix during the 2026 season.
- Colapinto, the first Argentine F1 driver in more than 20 years after his mid-2024 Williams debut, secured a one-year Alpine extension for 2027 in August, then scored points in Italy and Spain in early September but has failed to score in the three races since.
- The sport's next stop is the United States Grand Prix in Austin on October 23-25, the start of a triple-header.
Why it matters: Colapinto's plea lands at a moment when fan hostility has already cost one driver his seat (Doohan after six 2025 rounds) and triggered 'disturbing' threats against his own current team-mate Gasly — meaning the abuse Colapinto's fans direct at colleagues is aimed at people he works with daily, directly contradicting the supportive intent.
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