Alpine team principal Flavio Briatore has warned that Franco Colapinto could stop giving interviews to Argentine media if online abuse from the driver's fans continues, after teammate Pierre Gasly and his family were targeted on social media following the Grand Prix in Madrid.
The abuse followed an intra-team dispute during the race, in which Gasly ran ahead of Colapinto for an extended stretch and the two exchanged tense radio messages. Colapinto went on to finish seventh. Gasly later described the backlash he and his family received, including his girlfriend.
"If I see every time we have a lot of anger from the fans for no reason, then we will stop the interviews with the Argentinian television, we will stop everything, because it doesn't make sense what I'm reading on social media," Briatore said, according to Buenos Aires Herald. Speaking to ESPN Argentina, he addressed himself "especially to Argentines," warning that "there will come a time when Franco stops talking to everyone," and said Argentine fans should support Colapinto "cleanly." He also told the team's drivers to fight their rivals rather than each other, and said Colapinto needs to concentrate more during races.
FIA President Mohamed Ben Sulayem separately condemned the abuse directed at Gasly and his family as unacceptable, citing the governing body's campaign against online harassment, according to Perfil's 442.
Colapinto said the abuse was "never nice" and that he and Gasly "get on very well together," calling online harassment common across sports but something that "shouldn't be." The next round is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.