FIA issues hate speech statement after F1 drivers abused

F1's governing body have released an official statement over online abuse, specifically mentioning the cases of F1 stars Jack Doohan and Yuki Tsunoda.

Both Doohan and Tsunoda were subject to vile abuse during the Imola Grand Prix weekend, following incidents surrounding a small proportion of Franco Colapinto fans on social media.

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At the time, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem issued a statement condemning the abuse, and pointing to the FIA's United Against Online Abuse campaign.

However, since then, a number of F1 journalists have spoken out about their experience of online abuse, with Lee McKenzie and Sky Sports' Rachel Brookes both being subject to harmful comments on social media in recent weeks.

Now, the FIA's latest statement, published on International Day of Countering Hate Speech, has cited protecting journalists and drivers from the horrors of online abuse.

"Today marks the International Day of Countering Hate Speech," the official statement posted to Instagram read.

"The FIA United Against Online Abuse campaign is committed to protecting athletes, officials, journalists, fans, and everyone involved in sport. "With new research, education programmes, and continued advocacy, we are taking strides in the right direction. In 2024 alone, we have welcomed five scholars to our community, published our industry-leading barometer, grown our community by 184 per cent and boosted awareness through collaborations with events and governments.

F1 drivers facing increased levels of abuse

Tsunoda was subject to abuse after an on-track incident involving Colapinto during practice in Imola earlier this year, with both drivers acknowledging and condemning the offensive and racially motivated comments.

Doohan, meanwhile, had threats made against his family after being replaced by Colapinto at Alpine, with a fake image allegedly showing Doohan's father Mick laughing at a Colapinto crash doing the rounds on social media, with the parody account apologising and revealing it was a completely doctored image in the aftermath.

The Aussie driver told trolls to leave him and his family alone, but the ticking time bomb of social media in 2025 has unfortunately made abuse against drivers, journalists and other paddock personnel more common.

The FIA have been stern in their response and are hoping the United Against Online Abuse campaign will begin to counter the issue, calling on social media platforms to do more to protect those in the sport.

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