Esteban Ocon receives FIA support after Chinese Grand Prix death threats fallout

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem wrote to Haas driver Esteban Ocon following his receiving of death threats in the aftermath of the Chinese Grand Prix.

The French driver was hit with a barrage of toxic social media abuse, including physical threats to his safety, following an on-track incident between himself and Alpine driver Franco Colapinto.

Esteban Ocon backed by Mohammed Ben Sulayem after online abuse

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Ocon’s social media was inundated with toxicity following a costly error during the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, which has resulted in FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem reaching out to express his support on behalf of the governing body’s United Against Online Abuse [UAOA] initiative.

Ben Sulayem wrote a letter to the Haas driver, empathising with the situation Ocon was facing, and outlining how the UAOA initiative aims to try to curtail the abuse that drivers have become subjected to in recent years.

“Disrespect, harassment and hate have no place in sport, and we urge the fans to treat everyone with respect,” an FIA spokesperson told PlanetF1.com.

“‘Through the FIA’s United Against Online Abuse initiative, we will continue strengthening the safeguards and partnerships needed to protect competitors and the wider motor sport community.”

Ocon’s incident has brought the matter of online toxicity back to the forefront of the sport, after a small on-track clash led to a barrage of abuse.

Battling with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto through the opening sequence of corners, Ocon tapped the right-rear corner of the Argentinean, with both losing control of their cars and spinning.

The incident netted Ocon a 10-second time penalty, while Colapinto recovered to 10th place and a solitary point. Speaking afterwards, Colapinto was frustrated despite returning to the top 10 for the first time since the 2024 United States Grand Prix, having felt a stronger points position had gone begging as Pierre Gasly finished in sixth.

With Ocon having held his hands up to admit culpability for the mistake, an apology Colapinto accepted immediately without hitting out at his rival, it didn’t stop Ocon from being hit with social media toxicity.

The vile comments were mostly made by a small but vocal minority of Colapinto’s fanbase, who expressed their displeasure with Ocon by way of insults and threats, with some extreme comments even suggesting harm could come to the French driver.

It’s the latest incident of vitriol to be aimed at an F1 driver, following on from similar happenings to Kimi Antonelli after last year’s Qatar Grand Prix, after the Italian made an error that resulted in championship leader Lando Norris getting past him to score some extra, valuable, points.

The abuse was so relentless that, hours after the race, Antonelli turned his social media pictures to plain black in direct response to the torrent that had been flung at him over the incident.

Team sources explained that the Italian received several death threats or comments expressing a desire to inflict harm upon him, with over 1100 of the most “severe” comments flagged by Mercedes’ own community management tools across Antonelli’s social media.

Over 300 comments of similar severity were flagged on Mercedes’ own social media channels, leading the Brackley-based squad to interact directly with the FIA on the matter.

Last year, other drivers to fall foul of fan abuse included Yuki Tsunoda, whose arm wave of indignation while driving near Colapinto after being blocked earned him backlash, and Jack Doohan, the Australian driver who occupied the seat Colapinto took after the first six races last year.

It led to statements from both Doohan and Alpine, pleading with the fans to cease the behaviour.

Last year, the FIA’s UAOA initiative secured €400,000 in finding from the EU in order to carry out research into the proliferation of online abuse, having formed a coaolition with other sporting entities to help address the growing problem.

The abuse Ocon has faced is the latest high-profile example of the behaviour that the FIA’s United Against Online Abuse initiative is targeting to significantly reduce, if not eradicate.

In the middle of last year, the FIA’s Erin Bourke explained to PlanetF1.com how the tools available to teams and the governing body allow it to generate leads in identifying the origin of individual comments on social media platforms.

Pursuing those who go too far in their online activities and securing legal prosecutions is something UAOA is pursuing, with its first prosecution being actively sought.

“We know that that is a big stand saying actually, to the wider public,” Bourke said, “this is what’s possible.

“That’s quite important over the next year or two to be achieved.”

As for whether such cases will be publicised by UAOA when that time comes, Bourke said it will come down to individual circumstances.

“I think it would depend on the case and the topic and whether the victim would want to share it,” she said, “but, if it were possible, we would state, top-line, this is what’s gone through.”

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