Top level driver ditched after refusing to rebuke abusive online fans – Its Monaco and Formula Two racing. What can the fans expect? A multi car pile up on the narrows streets of the principality was no big surprise to anyone given the competitive nature of the field and characteristics of the Monaco track.
The F2 championship leader at the time and McLaren junior driver Alex Dunne caused a huge multi-car pile up at the start of the F2 feature race. Starting from pole Dunne made a poor launch and was beaten into the St Devote turn one by Victor Martins starting from P2.
Realising his error, Dunne made an attempt to retake his position up the inside but as Martins swept through, the pair collided with Martins being shunted into the barrier as Dunne was spun around to face the flood of cars leaving the grid.
F2 leader receives death threats
Then Richard Verschoor was eliminated from the race after hitting the stranded Dunne, however Leonardo Fornaroli made it through from P3 on the grid to become the race leader, before the red flags were thrown. Some 11 cars were involved in the incident, although a number of them were able to restart and continue the race after a lengthy stoppage.
Alex Dunne was subsequently subjected to vile and abusive online messages following the incident, he shares how he was bombarded with “really bad and quite upsetting” abuse post-race, which prompted him to delete all social media apps from his mobile phone. “I got a lot of stuff after Monaco, normally I’m not someone who reads things and gets annoyed by them,” said Dunne the following week.
“But, I think an hour after the race, I deleted social media off my phone because I’ve never received such bad messages in my life. A lot of the stuff I got was really, really bad and quite upsetting to be honest.”
The FIA has now responded to the incident releasing a statement which reads: “On behalf of our teams and drivers, F1, F2, F3 and the FIA, through their United Against Online Abuse campaign, firmly condemn abuse and harassment of any form.
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Colapinto responds
“We’ll continue to collectively act upon and report abuse to social media platforms. Whether you are a fan or a part of the motorsport world, we are all driven by passion. At the heart of it all, there are humans. We urge everyone to remain respectful towards the athletes and their teams.
Of course ‘trolling’ has become an unfortunate ‘norm’ since the birth of social media and Dunne is just one of a number of racing drivers to suffer the wrath of the ‘masses.’ At the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix a small incident saw Yuki Tsunoda impeded by Franco Colapinto in just a practice session, something which made the Japanese driver understandably frustrated as he topic to team radio.
Supporters of the Argentinian rookie driver then posted sickening messages on Yuki’s social media, which when Franco Colapinto discovered them, he immediately called for respect and calm.
Such was the furore, the president of the FIA took to his personal instagram account stating: “Motorsport is built on competition, passion, and commitment, and ever race drivers take to the track representing these values. The passion and excitement that we feel for our sport should unite us and never be twisted into abuse or hatred.
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“I stand in full support of Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto, and I thank them for speaking out against the growing issue of online abuse in motorsport.
“No one should be subjected to threats, hatred, or discrimination. There is no place for abuse or toxicity in our community. Through the united against online abuse campaign, we are taking decisive action – raising awareness, providing support, and driving change. We are committed to safeguarding the wellbeing of everyone in our sport, and together we can build a safer, more respectful environment for all.”
And its not just Dunne and Tsunoda who have been the target of online abuse this year, Alpine’s Jack Doohan was forced to take to social media and plead: “stop harassing my family” following a viral hoax involving his father.
“As you can see, the story circulating above is completely false,” Doohan clarified regarding the bogus post. “It was fabricated… to portray me and my family in a negative light. They edited the original content to make it appear as though my father posted it, which is entirely untrue. Please stop harassing my family. I didn’t think it would get to this point.”
Another Argentina driver refuses to calm fans
FIA chief Mohammed ben Sulayem also slammed the attacks on Doohan and his family, remarking: “Motorsport is built on competition, passion, and commitment, and ever race drivers take to the track representing these values.
“The passion and excitement that we feel for our sport should unite us and never be twisted into abuse or hatred. I stand in full support of Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto, and I thank them for speaking out against the growing issue of online abuse in motorsport.”
As happened in English Football in the 1980’s, hooliganism amongst fans should never be tolerated. Although in the virtual world this is more difficult to police and enforce given the online trolls may never even attend an F1 event and therefore cannot receive a physical ban.
Mysteriously another Argentinian driver was recently involved in an online abuse row, Agustin Canapino of JH Racing in Indycar. His fans would repeatedly abuse online any other driver who came into contact with their man, yet Canapino refused to rebuke them and was even found liking some of the unacceptable posts.
McLaren stop technical partnership
Following the 2024 Detroit Grand Prix just over a year ago, Canapino’s fans targeted McLaren’s Theo Pourchaire with death threats following an on track incident. This was the third such occasion which led to condemnation from the Porchaire’s Arrow McLaren team.
Arrow McLaren then terminated their technical partnership with the JHR team July 6th last year stating the social media incident as the reason. Canapino took a “leave of absence” from the team although he returned for five further race weekends before finally being dropped permanently.
Whilst the Colapinto situation is different from his countryman Canapino, the young Argentinian has to date fought to tread a fine line between criticising specific social media posts and making a general rebuke. When asked how social media abuse should be handled, he replied:
Colapinto needs to toughen his stance
“That happens, we are athletes, and we have to focus on what we can control. There is things out of our control that we cannot really change, how people respect the others and what those people do, and I try my best to try to ban people that I can control a little bit more that are my fans.
“So, that’s a work in progress. I know there is some overreacting, and they are very passionate, but they are also very euphoric, and some are a bit aggressive. That’s the reality. On my side, I’m trying to do my best. I know a lot of people are receiving hate. I did as well. So just things that we need to take out of our head when you’re on track and just focus on driving.”
Colpinto is young, but he is close to taking the line of Canapino, when explaining away certain online abuse as “a bit aggressive.” He needs to take a stand against trolls acting on his behalf and rebuke them before blocking them from all his SM feeds.
F1: The Movie. Too good to be true?
By the time the Formula One circus returns to Austria after next weekend in Canada, F1 The Movie will have been released in Cinemas across the world. The initial response from the critics has been one of overwhelming support as the movie by Joseph Kosinski, the director of Top Gun: Maverick, has today received widespread accolades from those who have attended a pre-release showing.
‘A high octane summer blockbuster’ is how the film is billed as the critics say this is another must-see thrill ride with great action sequences and strong dramatic performances from its cast. Also, this is another blockbuster this year that must be seen on an IMAX screen.
The reviews are so good, the movie itself is surely going to be a disappointment and this would be no surprise given Hollywood over the decades has failed to produce many motor racing films which are any good. The now iconic Le Mans filmed during the 1970 24 hour race featured pi up star Steve McQueen….. READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
