Alpine have publicly condemned the wave of online harassment and hateful messages that have been directed at Formula 1 drivers and personnel since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix incident in which Franco Colapinto was involved in a three‑car collision with his teammate Pierre Gasly and McLaren's Lando Norris. The chain of events began on the first Safety Car restart in Baku when Colapinto braked too late into Turn 1, locked his wheels and clipped the side of Gasly.
Gasly was then forced into Norris' McLaren, sending all three cars into the wall and ending their races. In a statement released on Sunday, Alpine emphasized that the condemnation of abusive behaviour on social media is not aimed at any particular fan base, team or driver.
"Condemning abuse on social media is not aimed at any one fan base or the supporters of one team or driver, this is universal and should be called out and recognised to all fans of the sport," the team wrote. Alpine stressed that such hostility is a problem for the entire sport and must be addressed by every follower of Formula 1.
All three drivers retired with serious damage to their cars. Colapinto later issued an apology to his teammate, the Alpine team and to Norris, describing the incident as a "big mistake" on his part. Because he retired, he could not serve the ten‑second time penalty handed down by the stewards, so the penalty was converted into a five‑place grid drop for the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Norris, speaking in the immediate aftermath, suggested that drivers who cause similar incidents should face a race‑ban. He added that "there are some drivers who shouldn't be in Formula 1, to be honest," reflecting the frustration many fans felt after the chaotic restart. Alpine has previously spoken out against online hate directed at Colapinto, who enjoys a large following in his native Argentina, and reiterated its stance after the Baku crash.
The Alpine statement continued: "As a team, we feel it's necessary to speak out once more about the hate and abuse online following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Not only aimed at one of our own drivers, but also members of the Formula One community, including media, and to our racing counterparts who we respect, admire, and revel competing against in the pinnacle of motorsport. Mistakes happen when racing at the limit and no matter the result or outcome, nobody should be subject to hateful or abusive comments." Alpine also pledged to work with the sport's promoter, the rights‑holder and the FIA to develop solutions that curb online abuse while preserving the healthy rivalry that makes Formula 1 special. "We know as a proud participant and stakeholder in the sport, we hold a responsibility to speak out and also help support in finding a solution.
We will continue to work closely with the championship promoter and rights‑holder, and the governing body to discuss ways in which to tackle online abuse and encourage healthy sporting rivalry, which Formula One is renowned for and what makes it so special," the team added. Flavio Briatore, Alpine's executive advisor, said he would take time to reflect on the incident and consider appropriate disciplinary measures.
He described Colapinto's error as "very poor" and noted that the collision cost Alpine valuable championship points. At the time of the crash, Gasly was running a solid seventh while Colapinto sat in tenth; the incident erased a potential seven‑point haul for the team.
The stewards' report detailed the sequence of events: "Following the restart, COL approached GAS from behind into Turn 1. COL braked too late and entered the corner on the inside at a speed which did not allow him to make the corner in a controlled manner. He overshot the corner and made contact with the left‑hand side of GAS, who then hit NOR and both cars retired. The Stewards considered that COL was wholly or predominantly to blame for the collision.
Although the incident occurred at the first corner following the restart, there was no contribution from another driver which would justify applying the first‑lap / first‑corner more lenient approach. The standard penalty for causing a collision is a 10‑second time penalty. As COL had retired from the race and was therefore unable to serve the time penalty, the Stewards converted the penalty to a drop of five grid positions at the next race in which the driver participates." The fallout extended beyond Alpine.
With both Alpine cars and Norris out, Arvid Lindblad capitalised on the chaos to finish seventh, extending Racing Bulls' lead over Alpine in the Constructors' Championship to 15 points with eight rounds remaining. In the post‑race press conference, the podium finishers—George Russell, Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar—were asked about Norris' suggestion of a race ban. All three agreed that a one‑race suspension would be excessive for a mistake of this nature.
Russell said, "I think that's too harsh, personally. Safety Car restarts, cold tyres, a very small mistake can have big consequences.
A race ban should be reserved for drivers who act deliberately and recklessly." Verstappen added, "As long as the driver caused it is aware of what he did, right, and apologised. It's a small mistake or misjudgement, you lock up, it's on the inside, low grip, and then it involves so many cars.
It's unfortunate, but a race ban is probably a bit much." Hadjar echoed this sentiment, pointing out the challenging conditions on the Baku street circuit: "The track is not good enough, you move out of the racing line, it gets very bumpy. It's hard to generate temperature behind the Safety Car, you go quite slowly, then you overdo it and the consequences are huge. A race ban is way too harsh." McLaren team principal Andrea Stella expressed confidence in the stewards' judgment, while also urging drivers to apply common sense, especially on circuits with limited runoff areas like Baku.
He said, "We trust the stewards, their approach, but above all, we should trust the drivers that they apply a certain degree of just common sense while driving." Looking ahead, Formula 1 returns to Malaysia for the first time since 2017, with the Bahrain Grand Prix scheduled at the Sepang International Circuit. Fans can watch live coverage on Sky Sports F1 and stream via NOW, with the flexibility to cancel at any time. Overall, Alpine's firm stance against online abuse, combined with the broader discussion among drivers and officials about appropriate penalties, highlights the sport's ongoing effort to balance intense competition with respect and responsibility both on and off the track.