Gasly calls out online abuse after Colapinto Alpine team order saga
Alpine driver Pierre Gasly
Pierre Gasly revealed that he and family members were subjected to “completely inappropriate” online abuse, calling it “disturbing” for the sport.
The unacceptable backlash came following an Alpine team order flashpoint at the Spanish Grand Prix, as Franco Colapinto repeatedly requested to be moved ahead of Gasly, who was preparing to pit.
Pierre Gasly online abuse addressed by Franco Colapinto
Gasly spent almost the entire race running the hard tyres which he started the Madring race on. The Frenchman told his race engineer “radio over” in frustration over that strategy.
Meanwhile, the sister Alpine of Colapinto had arrived on the scene, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in hot pursuit, just as Gasly was about to make his sole pit stop. Colapinto put the bleep machine to use.
His radio exchange with race engineer Stuart Barlow went as follows:
Colapinto: “Guys… I don’t want to lose time.”
Barlow: “Yeah, we’re on it mate.”
Colapinto: “Swap. Swap. Hello? Swap. Swap!”
Colapinto: “Honestly? Oh my God.”
Colapinto: “Hey! Swap! For f**ks sake! If I lose this to Piastri…”
Barlow: “Right, he’s boxing mate, he’s boxing.”
Colapinto: “This is f**king unbelievable! Yeah, great! For f**ks sake!”
Colapinto was able to finish ahead of Piastri in P7.
“We obviously discussed it with the team, and there wasn’t a call for an actual swap,” was Gasly’s take on the situation when speaking with PlanetF1.com and others ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
“It’s all been discussed with the team, and it’s all clear.”
Unfortunately, the situation led to online abuse being sent the way of Gasly.
“Personally, I find it a little bit disturbing for our sport,” he said.
“I’m a top athlete, so I know I’m exposed. It’s always been the case. But to that extent of threat, attacks, I find it completely inappropriate, especially when it reaches out to family members, you know, girlfriend, etc. I don’t think that should be the case.
“Things were not that way in the past, and I think as a sport we just need to find a way to make it a healthier place. You’re exposed. You know you’re going to be attacked. You can be liked. You can be disliked. It’s completely fine.
“But there is a certain line that should not be crossed just because you’re behind the screen and a keyboard. These lines are crossed a bit too many times.”
More on Alpine from PlanetF1.com
Untelevised Colapinto team radio captures sweary Spanish GP rant
Colapinto reaffirmed Gasly’s point that the Madring situation was “handled by the team,” adding that “we always try to learn from those things. So hopefully we learn and we can move forward.
“Together with Pierre, with Flavio [Briatore], Steve [Nielsen], everyone in the team did a very good job in understanding the thing that happened and how to improve it for the next time. I’m happy with it.
“I think the most important part is to learn from the things that we can improve, so the next time that comes, we don’t have the same thing happening and move forward.”
As for the aggressive reaction which Gasly received online, Colapinto acknowledged that, while it is not only his fans who behave that way, this is not an isolated incident.
The Argentine harked back, among the examples, to the abuse experienced by Yuki Tsunoda, some of it racist in nature, after a 2025 incident between them during practice at Imola.
Colapinto said of Gasly’s situation: “He got a lot of people messaging him, and it’s of course not good.
“We are teammates and we have done very well together and we are focusing on the same result, the same goal and same target, that is to make Alpine better. We are working always as a team, and it’s not nice to see it.
“Hopefully they can stop it. Same what happened to other drivers. Yuki last year, I think was quite bad as well at one point. And the stewards, I think after Zandvoort, we went to see them, they got some abuse after the penalty they gave me.
It happens a lot with fans in Formula 1, in any sport nowadays. It’s something very common, unfortunately. It shouldn’t be common. Definitely there should be more care taken about the things, the words that come out of the keyboards of everyone.
“The way to support us as a team is to push the team forward and stay strong together.
“Hopefully it doesn’t keep happening. But it’s something tricky with fans in the sport. It’s not just my fans. I’ve got some very passionate ones, and they want me to do well, and hopefully they can enjoy the good results sometimes.”
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
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