2026-07-04 09:32:58
Franco Colapinto feels F1 drivers can do more to tackle online abuse.
The Alpine driver was subjected to online abuse by those who felt he was responsible for Haas racer Ollie Bearman’s crash at the Japanese Grand Prix earlier this season and feels that drivers should be aware of the weight their words carry.
Colapinto told Autosport magazine: “As drivers, we need to help people understand how much their words can affect others. I think they never felt it in their lives because they never received those messages, or they probably think that we never read them.
“But we’ve arrived at the situation that most athletes are deleting their social media. I think as human beings we need to be much more conscious of the effect that our words have.
“On my side, I blame us drivers a bit because sometimes we speak in the media in a way that we are not thinking about the strength that our words have.”
On the track, Colapinto is enjoying an improved second season at Alpine and relishes working under the demanding leadership of team boss Flavio Briatore.
The Argentine driver said: “I believe in his process. You have to understand that to succeed in F1, and to achieve the goal that every midfield team has – to catch Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren – you need someone like Flavio.
“We finished P6 and P8 in Canada, those were amazing points for the team, but after the race Flavio was not happy at all and kept pushing the team. He was the most unhappy person in the team because of how far off Ferrari we were compared to Miami. He wanted to understand why and pushed the team forward.
“To put that pressure on the team even when things go right, it’s his way of leading the team, and in my personal view it’s a way of succeeding in F1 and catching the top teams.”
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