F1 commentator suspended after shocking Stroll insult
F1 commentator suspended after shocking Stroll insult
An F1 commentator has been suspended pending an investigation after Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll was targeted by an insult during the Austrian Grand Prix.
Lionel Froissart, a French-language broadcaster for Belgium's RTBF Sport, described Canadian driver Stroll as "the autistic".
Froissart's comment was quickly countered by colleague Gaetan Vigneron who said: "That's too strong. You are going too far."
But Froissart re-iterated his slur by claiming: "Honestly, this is the truth."
The feed from the Belgian broadcaster is picked up as the official French-language commentary for F1TV, with the incident causing a storm on social media.
RTBF condemn Froissart
In a strongly-worded statement released to GPFans, RTBF confirmed Froissart's suspension.
“RTBF strongly condemns the words used on Sunday, July 10, on air by its consultant Lionel Froissart during the Austrian Grand Prix," read the statement.
"Associating autism with a driver’s way of communicating was misplaced and completely inconsistent with RTBF values.
"An internal investigation will be conducted, to hear all the involved persons. The goal is to understand in detail what could have led to this incident.
"Pending the results of this investigation, RTBF will no longer work with the consultant in question until further notice.”
F1 facing off-track abuse crisis
This is the latest in a growing list of abusive incidents to hit the sport, with Lewis Hamilton racially and homophobically abused by three-time champion Nelson Piquet in the build-up to the British Grand Prix.
Lando Norris revealed he received death threats in an interview ahead of the race at Silverstone as well as abuse directed toward his girlfriend.
Zhou Guanyu was the next to report racial slurs, detailing the abuse he was subjected to when his Alfa Romeo deal was confirmed.
At the Austrian GP, fans were targeted with racist, misogynistic and homophobic slurs, prompting a united stance from everyone within the sport.
The insult directed at Stroll from an F1 broadcaster has now added another angle to an already serious situation.
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 team lodge FIA PROTEST over Chinese Grand Prix qualifying result
- 58 minutes ago
Hamilton in 's*** happens' outburst after huge China failure
- 1 hour ago
F1 News Today: Alonso hit with China PENALTY as Hamilton endures Shanghai nightmare
- 1 hour ago
F1 star PENALISED following controversial Chinese GP incident
- 2 hours ago
F1 Qualifying Results: Chinese Grand Prix 2024 times - 100th Red Bull pole as Hamilton crashes out in Q1
- 3 hours ago
Hamilton suffers CATASTROPHIC F1 qualifying after early exit
- 3 hours ago
Related news
Driver suggests Newey tempted by 'enticing' offer from F1 rivals
Alonso hints at another EXTENSION to F1 career
Stroll's F1 exit dilemma RIDICULED by former driver
Alonso in U-turn revelation on Aston Martin deal
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860