Alpine have publicly denounced the wave of online harassment and hateful messages that have been directed at Formula 1 drivers and other participants since the incident at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where Franco Colapinto was involved in a three‑car collision with his teammate Pierre Gasly and McLaren's Lando Norris. The chain reaction began on the first safety‑car restart in Baku when Colapinto, attempting to regain position, braked too late into Turn 1. His front wheels locked, causing him to run wide and strike the left‑hand side of Gasly's car.
The impact sent Gasly straight into Norris's McLaren on the outside line, resulting in all three cars retiring with significant damage. In a statement released on Sunday, Alpine stressed that the condemnation of social‑media abuse is not aimed at any single 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 said, emphasizing that the problem is a sport‑wide issue that must be addressed by everyone who follows Formula 1. Colapinto issued an apology to his teammate, the Alpine team and Norris, admitting that his mistake was "a big mistake" and taking full responsibility for the consequences.
Because he retired from the race, he was unable to 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 immediately after the crash, suggested that drivers who cause such incidents should face a race‑ban. "Drivers who cause incidents like Colapinto did should be banned for one race," he said, adding that "there are some drivers who shouldn't be in Formula 1, to be honest." His comments sparked a broader debate about the appropriate level of punishment for on‑track errors.
Alpine has previously spoken out against online hate directed at its drivers, particularly following incidents involving Colapinto, who enjoys a large following in his native Argentina. The team reiterated its stance, stating: "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's statement continued, "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." Flavio Briatore, Alpine's executive advisor, said he would take time to reflect on the incident and consider what further action might be appropriate.
He described Colapinto's error as "very poor" and noted that the collision cost Alpine valuable championship points. At the moment of the restart, Gasly was running a strong seventh while Colapinto was in tenth; the accident erased the seven points Alpine would have earned. 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." With both Alpine cars and Norris out of the race, Arvid Lindblad managed to finish seventh, extending Racing Bulls' lead over Alpine in the battle for fifth place in the Constructors' Championship to 15 points with eight rounds remaining. In Alpine's official post‑race press release, Briatore expressed disappointment: "Obviously I'm extremely disappointed with the outcome of today's race, knowing we lost valuable points in the championship fight.
These sorts of incidents shouldn't happen, particularly when we were running well with both cars in point‑scoring positions. I feel very sorry for the team and for Pierre who did a great job all weekend and my apologies also go to Lando [Norris] and McLaren for ruining their race.
I know that Franco has taken full responsibility for it, as he should; in fact he braked far too late considering the context of the race and the safety‑car restart. It was a very poor move for a driver of his experience. I want to take time to reflect on it and consider what course of action should be taken, so we can learn from it and avoid such a situation in future." When asked about Norris's suggestion of a race ban, the podium finishers all agreed that such a sanction would be excessive for a single mistake.
Race winner George Russell said, "I think that's too harsh, personally. Safety‑car restarts, cold tyres, a very small mistake can have big consequences. From what I saw today, it was a small error that had a big consequence.
Race bans should come from drivers intentionally doing something very dangerous and very reckless. So I think it was unfortunate." Second‑place finisher Max Verstappen added, "As long as the driver that caused it is aware of what he did, right, and apologised. A small mistake or misjudgement, you lock up, it's on the inside, low grip, and then it involves so many cars.
It's not nice for anyone involved, but a race ban is probably a bit much." Third‑place driver Isack Hadjar echoed the sentiment, noting 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, it's going quite slowly.
So you overdo it and then it has big, big consequences. A race ban is way too harsh." McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said the team trusts the stewards' judgment but also expects drivers to exercise common sense, especially on a circuit where the margin for error is minimal. He highlighted that street circuits like Baku leave little runoff, making any mistake potentially catastrophic. Looking ahead, Formula 1 returns to Malaysia for the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit, marking the first Malaysian race since 2017.
Fans can watch live coverage on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available via NOW. The sport continues to grapple with the dual challenges of on‑track safety and off‑track respect, and Alpine's firm stance against online abuse underscores the broader effort to foster a healthier, more inclusive environment for competitors and supporters alike.