The Alpine Formula 1 team has denied claims that it has been sabotaging its second driver Franco Colapinto’s car.
Autosport understands the claims were made on social media by primarily Argentinian fans and gained traction due to a difference in car specification at the Chinese Grand Prix.
After finishing 10th in the main Shanghai race, 49 seconds behind team-mate Pierre Gasly – which was partly down to Esteban Ocon colliding into him – Colapinto said: “We need to understand a few things on the high-speed corners that we lack and also get more performance on my car. The bits I don’t have on mine, it would really help as well to have them soon.”
This led to some fans running amok as they complained to the team on social media. “The difference between the engineers, and the rest of the team, of both drivers is abysmal,” one went as far as claiming; another branded Colapinto’s car “a bicycle”. One supporter described Alpine as a “meat grinder” for its second driver, while someone boldly claimed Alpine’s allegedly sole functioning car had been given to “the worst driver they have”.
In an open letter published on Thursday, Alpine has now moved to point out – as obvious as it may seem – sabotaging its second car just wouldn’t make sense. “It’s absolutely not in the team’s interests to not score points and any suggestion of self sabotage isn’t conducive to that ultimate end goal,” it wrote.
The team added that it was striving to bring updates to both cars simultaneously: “Both Pierre and Franco have been running with the same equipment, barring some small low-performance impacting parts in China due to switching gearbox components.”
Car of Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Photo by: Marcel van Dorst / EYE4images / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Alpine also spoke out against abuse that was directed at Colapinto following the incident that led to a 50G crash for Oliver Bearman, who was caught out by a 28mph speed difference at Suzuka. Many claimed – including pundits Timo Glock and Jacques Villeneuve – that the Argentinian was at fault for moving as Bearman approached, something even the Haas team has refuted.
This time, Colapinto was consequently on the receiving end of abuse, two weeks after Ocon received death threats following their Shanghai collision. This led Alpine to speak out against the unacceptable behaviour – the squad owned up to an “oversight” in not defending its former driver Ocon sooner.
Alpine’s statement in full
“Dear Alpine supporters and Formula One fans,
“Having reviewed the reaction online and on social media after the Japanese Grand Prix, as a team, we feel we owe it to our fans to address certain points and questions being raised, and also once again speak out against the hate and abuse being aimed at not just one of our own drivers, but also aimed towards our racing counterparts and other members of the Formula One family.
“The team has previously taken a strong stance condemning any hateful behaviour, abuse, threats or bullying online and on social media, and issuing statements to not only condemn it but also encourage people to enjoy social media responsibly and follow community guidelines.
“Our stance on this hasn’t changed and remains the same. Social media should be a place to bring people together, share in experiences and encourage healthy debate. In a highly competitive and complex sport, people will always have differences of opinion and disagree, but we encourage all fans of every team and driver to do it in a kind and respectful way.
“This isn’t about one particular fanbase, it’s about the entire Formula One community coming together to enjoy the sport we all love and are passionate about.
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team, Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Photo by: James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images
“The team condemns the hateful messages aimed towards Franco after last weekend’s race in Japan, the same way it condemns the abuse and threats that were aimed towards Esteban Ocon following a collision between the two cars at the Chinese Grand Prix.
“The two drivers were racing hard and fighting for position and Esteban took full responsibility and apologised to Franco, actively seeking him out in the media pen and also apologising on social media. The resulting abuse that followed was not in the spirit of the sport and was an oversight not to call it out sooner. Abuse of any kind to all drivers is unacceptable and it was especially disappointing that it comes from a minority of fans of the team towards a driver who has given so much to the team in the past and is a Grand Prix winner for Alpine.
“Subsequently, the team also condemns the hateful behaviour towards Franco following the incident with Ollie Bearman at Suzuka. First of all, the most important thing is the safety and wellbeing of the drivers and thankfully Ollie is OK. The closing speeds are a characteristic of these cars and as stated by the FIA, it’s something that will be closely reviewed in the coming weeks.
“The FIA also reviewed the incident involving Franco and Ollie during the race and deemed that no further action was necessary.
“The team closely monitors its channels and uses certain tools to moderate comments that don’t meet the criteria of our community guidelines. It’s something we as a team also remain in regular dialogue with Formula One and the FIA about and collectively want to tackle and mitigate in future.
“As the team and the sport enters a short break and reflects on the first three races of the new season, the team would also like to clarify the concern of some fans regarding parity between both our cars.
Pierre Gasly & Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Photo by: Alpine
“The team endeavours to put the two fastest cars on track and provide equal opportunity for both drivers to be competitive and score important points for the team in the championship.
“In some instances, given the need to fast-track parts and carefully manage the manufacturing process, the team is only able to bring select parts or upgrades to some events. However, that is never the intended or desired approach, as, if the part is a performance upgrade as we hope and intend, then we want it available on both cars immediately. This has remained the case this year and both Pierre and Franco have been running with the same equipment, barring some small low-performance impacting parts in China due to switching gearbox components.
“Franco is our driver and the team has placed its trust in him, just as he has with the team. That is an indication of the commitment we have to Franco and his place in the team with equal footing alongside Pierre.
“Any questions about sabotage or not giving Franco the same car are completely unfounded, which is why the team felt the need to speak out. There might be times this year when pushing in the development race that upgrades come to one car first, which the team will communicate and be completely transparent about. That being said, the aim will always remain to bring upgrades to both cars where possible.
“It’s absolutely not in the team’s interests to not score points and any suggestion of self sabotage isn’t conducive to that ultimate end goal. From the opening races, the team finds itself in a strong position and the team is not counting on its laurels and is staying grounded. At the last two races, the team has been the fourth fastest car and we know we have to work incredibly hard to stay there and have two cars regularly in with a chance of scoring points.
“The team back at Enstone are working incredibly hard and are fuelled by you, the fans, to keep pushing in the hope of more good results. Both Pierre and Franco are also working very hard and will be at Enstone during the break with the engineers and on the simulator, finding every last bit of performance.
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
“One of the things that goes unnoticed and isn’t seen often enough is how hard the drivers work together and share information. Pierre and Franco regularly come to each other’s desks in the engineering office to share data and feedback. As a team, we’re fortunate to have someone of Pierre’s experience and, as can be seen from his performances in the first few races, he’s a class act and can perform at an incredibly high level on a consistent basis.
“The engineering group is very much united and all pulling in the same direction. That includes both Pierre and Franco. There’s no withholding of information or keeping performance tricks hidden away. That is very much a thing of the past and not part of modern Formula One, where you need every bit of input and data to be successful as a team. This is especially the case with these new cars, Power Units, and strategic way of going racing on track.
“As race fans ourselves, we are already eager to go racing again and look forward to returning in Miami in a few weeks’ time. We will use the gap in the season to debrief the first three races, find ways to improve but also continue to push to come back even stronger. Franco, meanwhile, is excited to head back to Argentina and embrace the passion of the fans there and give back a little something for such loyal support.
“On track, our rivals won’t be resting and standing still, so neither will we.
“We really appreciate your continued support, it doesn’t go unnoticed. Keep following our channels for regular updates and we will keep bringing you more stories and behind the scenes content from back at the factory to show the team’s progress.”
Additional reporting by Oleg Karpov
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