Colapinto's sponsor criticizes the FIA following the penalties in the Netherlands.

      Franco Colapinto has once again found himself in the midst of controversy, this time after his main sponsor publicly criticized FIA stewards for undermining the integrity of Formula 1. The Alpine driver received two penalties at Zandvoort for yellow-flag violations, including a drive-through penalty for overtaking Yuki Tsunoda during Max Verstappen's crash on the opening lap.

      Colapinto contended that the stewards lacked the necessary "judgment" to assess what was truly safer under the circumstances. "I believe that while the rules are established, they should be more adaptable and have the ability to consider what is safer or less safe," he stated. "It’s their responsibility, but they should also be flexible and comprehend the situation."

      The situation took a dramatic turn when Mercado Libre's chief marketing officer, Sean Summers, escalated the matter on social media. "FIA stewards are compromising the integrity of F1," he criticized. "This season, they have proven to be terrible and are affecting race outcomes. Is it incompetence? Dishonesty? Both? Something is fundamentally wrong within that organization's culture."

      In response to these remarks, Alpine sought to distance itself from Summers’ comments while acknowledging that the penalties issued were excessively strict. "We have complete confidence in the FIA and the Stewards regarding the enforcement of these rules and the application of sporting penalties during live race scenarios," the team stated. "We recognize that the penalties for Yellow Flag Infringements during the early stages of the Dutch Grand Prix were indeed severe, but we accept that they were aligned with the regulations and were consistently implemented across all drivers."

      This is not Colapinto's first incident outside the racetrack in recent weeks. During the summer break, thieves cleared out his car in Milan while he dined at a restaurant known for its carbonara, stealing his passport, wallet, and clothing. However, it was Colapinto's response that attracted attention; he initially commented, "Who would have thought that Italians would steal everything from a Latino?" He later modified "Italians" to "Europeans" before ultimately deleting the comment following backlash.