FIA responds to targeted online abuse after controversial F1 Dutch Grand Prix decisions

The FIA has issued a strongly-worded statement after race stewards were targeted with online abuse following Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

The dramatic final race at the seaside circuit had plenty of drama, and plenty of penalties. They included sanctions against Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad, Liam Lawson of Red Bull, and Alpine's Franco Colapinto - all of whom would also later receive penalty points on their licences.

The controversy about some of those decisions carried over to social media after the race, with Sean Summers (CMO of Colapinto sponsor Mercado Libre) in particular launching a withering attack on the stewards in a social media message which was later deleted.

He wrote: "FIA stewards are killing the integrity of F1. This season they are proving to be horrible and impacting race results. Incompetence? Dishonesty? Both? Something is seriously broken in that organization’s culture."

On Tuesday morning F1's governing body released a strongly-worded statement revealing that stewards had been targeted with online abuse. It read: "Following the Dutch Grand Prix, FIA stewards were targeted with online abuse after applying sporting penalties in line with FIA regulations.

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FIA statement in full after stewards targeted

"The United Against Online Abuse coalition condemns all forms of abuse harassment. Disagreement with decisions is part of sport, but it must never justify threats or personal attacks.

"In 2023, the FIA launched the United Against Online Abuse coalition after a steward faced targeted abuse following the United States Grand Prix.

"We urge everyone engaging with our sport to so so with respect and responsibility, online and offline."

Lindblad and Colapinto sanctions criticised by experts

Those decisions regarding Lindblad and Colapinto in particular had drawn strong criticism from F1 experts - including Dutch trio Olav Mol, Jan Lammers and Richard Verschoor.

Speaking on Ziggo Sport’s De Stamtafel, Mol argued that the drivers should not have been penalised, claiming hat the overtaken drivers were merely easing off the throttle, which naturally allowed those behind to pass.

“It wasn’t a deliberate move to overtake Yuki Tsunoda,” he said. “Tsunoda was forced to slow down, and punishing that move is simply unacceptable.”

Lammers echoed this sentiment, remarking, “This is a case of following the letter of the law rather than honouring its spirit.”

In fact, the stewards' ruling on those two penalties did note the 'mitigating circumstances', and reduced the punishments from the standard 10-second stop-go penalties to less damaging drive-throughs.

Verschoor, a former Formula 2 driver now competing in the European Le Mans Series, viewed the incident as a matter of pure instinct. He noted that in a split second, a driver’s natural reaction is to continue racing when the car ahead suddenly decelerates.

“In such moments, it’s nothing more than a reflex,” he explained. “In karting and the lower formula classes, drivers learn to seize any opportunity available, not to intentionally slow down for others.”

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