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

      Franco Colapinto has once again found himself embroiled in controversy, this time after his main sponsor publicly accused FIA stewards of 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 asserted that the stewards lacked the "judgment" to assess what was truly safest under the circumstances.

      He stated, "I believe that while the rules are established, they should be more adaptable, and there should be the understanding of what is safe or somewhat unsafe." He added, "It’s their responsibility, but they should also be flexible and grasp the situation."

      Mercado Libre's chief marketing officer, Sean Summers, significantly escalated the situation on social media, declaring, "FIA stewards are undermining the integrity of F1." He continued, "This season they are displaying incompetence and negatively influencing race outcomes. Is it incompetence? Dishonesty? Perhaps both?" He expressed that "something is seriously wrong with that organization’s culture."

      In response to Summers’ remarks, Alpine distanced itself from the criticism while also acknowledging that the penalties were harsh. The team released a statement affirming, "We fully trust the FIA and the Stewards regarding enforcing these rules and applying sporting penalties during a live race scenario." They recognized that the penalties for the yellow flag violations during the early laps of the Dutch Grand Prix were indeed severe, but confirmed that they adherently aligned with the rules and were consistently applied to all competitors.

      This isn’t the first off-track controversy for Colapinto in recent weeks. During the summer break, thieves emptied his car in Milan while he was enjoying a meal at a restaurant he praised for its carbonara, stealing his passport, wallet, and clothing. However, it was his reaction that garnered attention, as he initially remarked, "Who would have thought that Italians would steal everything from a Latino?" He later replaced "Italians" with "Europeans" before ultimately deleting the comment following backlash.