‘My limbs will be cut off’ – Jack Doohan was forced to enter Miami paddock under armed guard

Jack Doohan revealed he had to enter the Miami paddock under armed protection after receiving vile threats, simply for racing in the Alpine F1 car instead of Franco Colapinto.

Social media trolls have become a blight on Formula 1, and it is getting worse with every passing year.

Jack Doohan reveals online abuse forced extra security at Miami GP

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Keyboard warriors hiding behind screens and aliases – and often several of them – spew their hate at the world. From politicians, to celebrities, to sportspeople, to the neighbour two doors down.

It is a stain on society.

And it is forcing more and more drivers to turn away from social media to protect their mental health and their families.

Lando Norris, who hasn’t posted on X since 2024, also ignored his other social media accounts last season as he battled Oscar Piastri for the title.

“I’ve not been on social media for a few weeks now,” Norris told PlanetF1.com and other media at Imola. “It’s just not something I enjoy. I don’t need to. It’s my life. I can do what I like.”

Liam Lawson followed suit, revealing to the Gypsy Tales podcast that he has gone as far as to delete his accounts.

“It’s so much better. So, so much better,” the Racing Bulls driver explained. “It can be such a toxic place. I feel for people.”

Addressing hateful online messages specifically, he continued: “99 percent of the time, what people would say online, [they] would never have the balls to say to somebody’s face. And it’s the same in our sport when we’re dealing with it.

“Obviously, I don’t read it now, but it’s that kind of thing. The amount of negativity around drivers or teams that fans don’t like and just the amount of negative comments that get put out there and crazy things that are being said.”

Hateful, crazy, and threatening.

As Netflix prepares to release its upcoming season eight of Drive to Survive, one of the season’s early stars, Jack Doohan, has spoken of the threats he received.

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Racing for Alpine, with a Colapinto-shaped sword hanging over his head after Colapinto joined the Alpine programme with Flavio Briatore’s support, the Australian driver was threatened by users on X in the days before the Miami Grand Prix.

“I got serious death threats for this grand prix, saying they’re going to kill me here, if I’m not out of the car,” he told the docuseries.

“I had six or seven emails saying if I am still in the car by Miami, all my limbs will be cut off.

“Wednesday, I was there with my f***ing girlfriend and my trainer, and I’ve got three armed men around me – I had to call my police escort to come and get it under control.”

Formula 1 confirmed it was aware of the threats and increased Doohan’s security in response.

“Formula 1 is a family and a community that is based on respect and support for each other,” F1 said.

“There is no place for abusive behaviour either online or in person and the whole sport stands united against anyone that attempts to undermine our values.

“As a community and will report anyone found to be acting in this way to the appropriate authorities and platforms.”

Miami turned out to be Doohan’s final race in the car as he was dropped in favour of Colapinto. But with the Argentine driver crashing in qualifying, a fake F1 parody account created a post linked to Doohan’s favour mocking Colapinto.

At the time Doohan took to social media to plead with fans to stop harassing his family.

“As you can clearly see, the story circulating above is completely false. It was fabricated by Argentine fans attempting to portray me and my family in a negative light,” he wrote.

“They edited the original content to make it appear as though my father posted it, which is entirely untrue.

“Please stop harassing my family. I didn’t think it would have to get to this point.”

The issue has of late become so prevalent that FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem took to Instagram to share an official statement.

“Motorsport is built on competition, passion, and commitment, and every race drivers take to the track representing these values,” Ben Sulayem wrote on social media.

“The passion and excitement that we feel for our sport should unite us and never be twisted into abuse or hate.

“I stand in full sport of Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto, and I thank them for speaking out against the growing issue of online abuse in motorsport.

“No one should be subjected to threats, hatred, or discrimination. There is no place for abuse or toxicity in our community.

“Through the United Against Online Abuse campaign, we are taking decisive action – raising awareness, providing support, and driving change.

“We are committed to safeguarding the wellbeing of everyone in our sport, and together we can build a safer, more respectful environment for all.”

Although Doohan has said goodbye to Alpine, the Australian found a home at Haas, which he has joined as its a reserve driver for the 2026 Formula 1 season.

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