Could F1 fans be sued? Driver abuse takes chilling twist

F1 Off the Track

Could F1 fans be sued? Driver abuse takes chilling twist

F1 pundit Ralf Schumacher has called out fans

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Tuesday 24 March 2026 17:53

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has suggested that legal action should be pursued by F1 against fans who spread hate online.

The FIA have recently set up a United Against Online Abuse organisation, which seeks to combat hate speech, digital abuse, and harassment in sport, but the Chinese Grand Prix weekend once again saw awful abuse hurled towards an F1 driver.

Haas' Esteban Ocon faced a barrage of hate following a lap one incident with Franco Colapinto, and even faced disgusting death threats online.

Colapinto's team stepped in and implored fans to stop sending hate the way of Frenchman Ocon.

The incident itself saw Ocon and Colapinto collide after the Argentine had come into the pits for hard tyres, with Colapinto spinning around as a result of the incident. While both drivers continued on in the race, Colapinto revealed afterwards that it had caused some damage to his Alpine car, but that Ocon had apologised to him for the incident.

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Colapinto went on to score his first point since the 2024 United States GP, while Ocon finished down in 14th.

"I don't care that much, it all passes me by," Schumacher told the Backstage Boxengasse podcast. "But I do have to say honestly that it's a shame, and also doesn't really belong in this sport. Maybe people should take a look at that. I also hope they will.

"Maybe they should also look into taking legal action against types like that. This just can't be done. Violence, or incitement to violence via the internet... I don't think there is room for that anywhere in the world."

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F1 drivers facing increased levels of abuse

The F1 world is seeing horrific levels of online abuse at the moment, levelled against drivers, journalists and paddock personnel alike.

Last year, Yuki Tsunoda was subject to awful abuse after an on-track incident involving Colapinto during practice at the Emilia Romagna GP, with both drivers acknowledging and condemning the offensive and racially motivated comments.

Jack 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.

Journalist Lee McKenzie and Sky Sports' Rachel Brookes have both been subjected to harmful comments on social media in recent months, too.

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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F1 Esteban Ocon Ralf Schumacher Franco Colapinto