Alpine denies 'sabotage' claims, defends Colapinto against online abuse

Alpine has issued a public statement forcefully denying social media rumors that it is sabotaging the car of its rookie driver Franco Colapinto. The team also condemned the "hateful" online abuse directed at both Colapinto and former driver Esteban Ocon, reaffirming its commitment to providing equal equipment and opportunity to both of its current drivers.

Why it matters:

This public rebuttal highlights the intense, often toxic pressure teams face from online fanbases in the modern F1 era. Alpine felt compelled to address baseless conspiracy theories head-on to protect team morale and clarify its operational principles. The statement also underscores the ongoing challenge F1 faces in managing fan passion, which sometimes crosses into unacceptable abuse directed at drivers and teams.

The details:

• The rumors originated primarily among Argentinian fans after the Chinese Grand Prix, where Colapinto finished 49 seconds behind teammate Pierre Gasly. Colapinto's post-race comment about needing "the bits I don't have on mine" fueled speculation, despite the gap being partly caused by a collision with Esteban Ocon.
• Alpine's statement explicitly called the sabotage claims "completely unfounded," arguing it is "absolutely not in the team’s interests to not score points."
• The team admitted that, on rare occasions due to manufacturing and logistics, one car may receive an upgrade first. However, it stated the clear aim is always to bring performance parts to both cars simultaneously and that in China, any differences were only "small low-performance impacting parts" related to a gearbox change.
• Alpine also addressed the fallout from the Japanese GP, where Colapinto was involved in the high-speed incident with Oliver Bearman. Despite the FIA taking no further action, Colapinto received significant online abuse.
• The team acknowledged an "oversight" in not defending Esteban Ocon sooner after he received death threats following his collision with Colapinto in Shanghai.

What's next:

Alpine enters the short break before Miami positioned as the fourth-fastest team, a promising start it aims to build on. The team emphasized that drivers Gasly and Colapinto work collaboratively, sharing data and feedback in pursuit of performance. Looking ahead, Alpine committed to transparency with fans if one car receives an upgrade before the other, while continuing to push development for both drivers equally. The broader F1 community will watch how the sport collectively addresses the persistent issue of online toxicity directed at its participants.