Alpine F1 team release statement over driver sabotage claims

Photo: © IMAGO

Alpine F1

Alpine F1 team release statement over driver sabotage claims

Franco Colapinto has come under fire from F1 supporters

Dan Ripley Global Editor

Professional F1 journalist and analyst

Thursday 2 April 2026 14:45 Updated: 17:51

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The Alpine F1 team have released a statement to its fans and Formula 1 supporters over hateful messages sent to its drivers on social media.

Franco Colapinto has been subject to abuse online following the Japanese Grand Prix, while his rival and former Alpine driver Esteban Ocon was sent abuse for causing a collision between the pair at the Chinese Grand Prix

In Japan, Colapinto was abused online following his innocent but indirect role in causing Haas driver Ollie Bearman to spin off the track and crash into a wall.

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The Argentine's Alpine was slowing down out of his control due to the nature of the batteries in F1 cars now, and the rapid closing speed of Bearman forced the British driver to take evasive action on the grass before losing control. Thankfully, Beaman escaped uninjured but was visibly winded.

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Alpine furious over hateful Franco Colapinto messages

Alpine have therefore released a huge open letter containing 1188 words, in support of Colapinto but also warning of abuse to their fellow rivals after the Argentine's incident with Ocon.

Alpine said: "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."

Alpine favouritism addressed

The team also wanted to address matters over driver favourability concerning more online messages suggesting that Pierre Gasly was being favoured over Colapinto.

They added: "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.

Alpine state there is no favouritism between Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto

"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."

Alpine have started the season strongly after a miserable 2025 campaign where they finished last in the constructors' championship. However this season they already have 16 points (just six fewer than the entirety of 2025). It puts them in fifth place level with Red Bull and just two points behind Haas as Flavio Briatore's outfit look to kick on for the rest of 2026.

Written by

Dan Ripley - Global Editor

I've been a massive F1 fan since the mid 1990s and continue to study the history of the sport long before that. As an experienced motor sport reporter covering F1, MotoGP and the LeMans 24 Hour race, being part of GPFans has allowed me to work with a diverse team with all sorts of different backgrounds in watching the sport and given me a greater appreciation of F1.

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F1 Alpine Pierre Gasly Esteban Ocon Franco Colapinto