FIA and Alpine respond to abusive fans of Colapinto.

      "Please stop harassing my family."

      The governing body of F1, along with the Alpine team, has condemned the personal threats and abuse directed at the rivals of new Argentine Formula 1 driver Franco Colapinto. After Jack Doohan lost his race seat to 21-year-old Colapinto following the Miami race, his renowned father Mick Doohan posted on social media, highlighting that Jack's statistics for 2025 compared favorably with teammate Pierre Gasly.

      Mick, a motorcycling icon, stated to the Spanish broadcaster DAZN at Imola that he did so to "make a point," joking that Alpine now appears to be a "customer team," welcoming drivers whose sponsors can pay the most. This ignited a barrage of criticism from Argentine fans on social media, which intensified when a fake Mick Doohan Instagram account posted an image of Colapinto’s crash in Imola with the caption "Very impressive."

      Jack Doohan has now appealed to the abusive Argentine fans via social media, saying, "Please stop harassing my family." Alpine responded by issuing a statement denouncing the "online abuse," reminding F1 fans that there is a person behind the visor of these extraordinary athletes. Colapinto shared the Alpine statement and also urged his Argentine fans to refrain from attacking fellow F1 driver Yuki Tsunoda.

      After being blocked at Imola, Tsunoda had shown Colapinto the middle finger and later revealed he experienced hostility from Argentine fans online. "I’m saying this not because of what they say to me, they say too much about Doohan, right?" the Japanese driver remarked. "I don’t think he was driving comfortably. It's good that they have passion, but they should manage it," he added. "I feel they could channel that energy more positively."

      To his credit, Colapinto acknowledged that he "blocked" Tsunoda during the Imola practice, supporting the Racing Bulls driver's "right" to be frustrated. "I blocked quite a lot of people," he remarked. "It was just the first day with the car and the team. I’m not sure about the Argentine fans' actions. Argentines are extremely passionate and often tough on others. But they must show respect, which is what we all desire."

      FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has also commented on the situation, reiterating his strong stance against online abuse that he has championed long before these recent developments. "I fully support Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto," he stated, "and I appreciate them for voicing their concerns about the rising issue of online abuse in motorsport."