Not for the first time since Franco Colapinto arrived in Formula 1, a controversial incident involving him has led to a wave of abusive online vitriol aimed at others in the series, prompting condemnation from his team.

The Alpine driver is in danger of becoming known less for his performance on track than the hateful posts made by an element of his fanbase.

One of his compatriots experienced a similar situation in IndyCar two years ago and ended up losing his drive. Reader @Uzsjgb is concerned a similar scenario may unfold again:

Same thing happened with Agustin Canapino in IndyCar. He lost his drive, because nobody wanted to be associated with this sort of thing.

Constantly having to issue such statements is not a viable path for Alpine, being associated with this sort of thing is just too damaging in the long run. They may have to terminate Colapinto’s contract.

Join the original discussion here:

Alpine condemn online abuse again: “It has become a regular occurrence”

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