Franco Colapinto: Alpine dismisses ‘sabotage’ allegations against Argentine driver after online abuse | F1 News

Alpine has published a 1,200-word letter rejecting claims that Franco Colapinto’s car was sabotaged.

Argentine supporters suggested on social media that there were specification differences between Colapinto’s car and that of Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly at last month’s Chinese Grand Prix.

Colapinto finished the race in 10th place, his only points-scoring car, but 49 seconds behind Gasly in seventh place.

Alpine’s letter on Thursday began by addressing online abuse against Colapinto, who was involved in Oliver Bearman’s high-speed accident at Suzuka, but then revealed allegations of “sabotage” regarding the weekend in China.

The team confirmed that Gasly and Colapinto are “running on the same equipment, except for some small parts that affect performance due to a switch in gearbox components in China.”

The letter continued: “Franco is our driver and the team has the same confidence in him as he has in the team. This is an expression of the commitment we have for Franco and that his position within the team is on a par with Pierre.”

“The questions of sabotage and not giving Franco the same car are completely unfounded. That’s why the team felt it necessary to speak out.”

“As we progress through the development races this year, we may see upgrades made to one car first, but the team will communicate and be fully transparent about that. That said, the goal remains the same: to provide upgrades to both cars wherever possible.”

“Not being able to score points is definitely not in the team’s interest, and any suggestion of self-sabotage is not conducive to the ultimate goal. The team has felt that they have been in an advantageous position since the opening game, and they are not counting on that honor and are maintaining the status quo.”

“For the last two races the team has been the fourth-best car and we know we have to work incredibly hard to stay there and have a chance for both cars to score points regularly.”

Alpine also addressed the issue of Colapinto colliding with Haas’s Esteban Ocon during a battle during the Chinese Grand Prix.

Ocon accepted responsibility for the crash, but was criticized online for the incident, which he “blamed” on Alpine.

“The two drivers raced hard and fought for position. Esteban took full responsibility and apologized to Franco, actively pursuing him with his media pen and apologizing on social media,” the letter said.

“The resulting abuse was contrary to the spirit of the sport and it was an oversight not to press charges sooner. Abuse of any kind against any driver is unacceptable and it was particularly disappointing that it came from a minority of the team’s fans against a driver who has contributed so much to the team in the past and is a Grand Prix winner for Alpine.”

“The team then also condemns the hateful actions towards Franco after the accident with Ollie Bearman at Suzuka. First and foremost, the most important thing is the safety and well-being of the driver and thankfully Ollie is unharmed. Closing speed is a characteristic of these cars and, as the FIA ​​has said, it will be looked at closely in the coming weeks.”

“The FIA ​​also reviewed the accident involving Franco and Ollie during the race and determined that no further action was necessary.”

Full text of Alpine’s open letter

Following the reaction online and on social media following the Japanese Grand Prix, as a team we feel we have an obligation to our fans to address certain points and questions that have been raised, and to once again speak out against the hatred and abuse directed at not only one of our drivers, but also racing drivers and other members of the F1 family.

The team has previously taken a strong stance against all forms of hateful behavior, abuse, intimidation and bullying online and on social media, and has issued statements not only condemning it, but also encouraging people to enjoy social media responsibly and follow community guidelines.

Our stance on this remains the same. Social media should be a place to bring people together, share experiences, and encourage healthy discussion. In a competitive and complex sport, people will always have disagreements and disagreements, but we encourage all fans of all teams and drivers to do so in a kind and respectful manner.

This is not about any particular fan base, but about the entire F1 community coming together to enjoy the sport we all love and are passionate about.

The team condemns the hate messages directed at Franco after last weekend’s race in Japan, just as it condemns the abuse and threats directed at Esteban Ocon after the collision between two cars at the Chinese Grand Prix.

The two drivers had an intense race and fought for position, but Esteban took full responsibility and apologized to Franco, actively pursuing Franco with his media pen and apologizing on social media as well. The subsequent abuse was against the spirit of sport, and it was negligent not to report the case sooner. We do not tolerate abuse of any kind against any driver. In particular, it was unfortunate that a small group of team fans subjected a driver who had made great contributions to the team in the past and was a Grand Prix winner for Alpine to be subjected to abuse.

The team then also condemned the hateful actions towards Franco after the Olly Bearman incident at Suzuka. First and foremost, the most important thing is the safety and well-being of our drivers, and thankfully Ollie is safe. Approach speed is a characteristic of these cars and, as the FIA ​​has stated, this will be looked at closely in the coming weeks.

The FIA ​​also reviewed the accident involving Franco and Ollie during the race and decided that no further action was necessary.

Our team closely monitors our channels and uses certain tools to moderate comments that don’t meet our Community Guidelines standards. As a team, we are in regular dialogue with F1 and the FIA ​​regarding this, and we hope to work together to alleviate this in the future.

As the team and the sport go on a short break and reflect on the first three races of the new season, the team also wants to clarify the concerns of some fans regarding the parity of both cars.

The team strives to put the two fastest cars on track and give both drivers an equal opportunity to be competitive and score important points for the team in the championship.

In some cases, the need to source parts quickly and carefully manage the manufacturing process means teams can only bring select parts or upgrades to some events. But that’s never the intended or desired approach. Because if that part is exactly the performance upgrade we want, we want it to be available for both cars right away. This is the case again this year, with both Pierre and Franco running on the same equipment, apart from some small low performance impacting parts in China due to a switch in gearbox components.

Franco is our driver and the team has the same confidence in him as he has in the team. It shows our commitment to Franco and his position in the team as Pierre.

The team felt it necessary to speak out, as the questions of sabotage and not giving Franco the same car are completely unfounded. As we progress through the development race this year, there may be upgrades made to one car first, but the team will communicate about it and be completely transparent. That being said, the goal always remains to bring upgrades to both cars whenever possible.

Not being able to score points is definitely not in the team’s interest, and hinting at self-sabotage doesn’t contribute to the ultimate end goal. Although the team has been in an advantageous position since the opening game, they are not expecting that honor and are maintaining their current status. For the last two races the team has been the fourth car and we know we have to work incredibly hard to stay there and have a chance of both cars scoring points regularly.

The team back at Enstone have worked incredibly hard and are encouraged by our fans to keep pushing and hoping for even better results. Pierre and Franco are also working very hard and during the break they will join the engineers at Enstone in the simulator to find out the final part of their performance.

One thing that doesn’t get a lot of attention and is seen a lot is how eagerly drivers collaborate and share information. Pierre and Franco regularly meet at each other’s desks in the engineering office to share data and feedback. As a team, we are lucky to have a rider with Pierre’s experience and, as you can see from his performance in the first few races, he is first class and able to consistently perform at an incredibly high level.

The engineering group is very cohesive and everyone is pulling in the same direction. Pierre and Franco are among them. We don’t withhold information or hide performance tricks. That’s pretty much a thing of the past and not part of modern F1 where you need all the input and data to be successful as a team. This is especially true with these new cars, power units, and strategic ways to race on tracks.

As race fans ourselves, we are already eager to go racing again and are looking forward to returning to Miami in a few weeks. We will use the gap in the season to reflect on the first three races and not only find ways to improve, but also continue to push to come back even stronger. Meanwhile, Franco is back in Argentina and is looking forward to embracing the passion of the local fans and giving back in some small way to their loyal support.

On the track, our competitors never rest or stop, so neither do we.

Thank you very much for your continued support. Please keep following our channel for regular updates. We’ll continue to bring you more stories and behind-the-scenes content from the factory to show the team’s progress.

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