Alpine has issued a stern condemnation of the toxic online abuse and hate aimed at Formula 1 drivers and personnel following a chaotic three-car collision at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The incident occurred during the race's first Safety Car restart when Alpine driver Franco Colapinto locked his brakes into the opening corner, crashing directly into team-mate Pierre Gasly and triggering a chain reaction that also eliminated McLaren's Lando Norris.
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SubscribeAddressing the aftermath, Alpine emphasized that condemning online harassment transcends individual fan bases or specific drivers, calling it a universal issue that requires recognition and accountability across the entire sporting community.
"As a team, we feel it is necessary to speak out once more about the hate and abuse online following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, not only aimed at our own drivers but also members of the Formula One community," the team stated.
Flavio Briatore Weighs Consequences After Costly Baku Error
Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore expressed deep disappointment over the costly error that stripped the team of valuable championship points while both drivers were running inside the top ten.
"I know that Franco has taken full responsibility for it, as he should, because he braked far too late considering the context of the race and the safety car restart," said Briatore regarding the misjudgment.
Briatore added that the move was particularly poor given the driver's experience level, noting that leadership intends to take time to reflect on what course of action should be taken moving forward.
As a result of the incident, Colapinto received a five-place grid penalty for the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, after stewards converted a 10-second time penalty following his retirement from the race.