Alpine make banned driver pledge after shocking run of incidents

Alpine has vowed to support junior driver Nicola Lacorte after the young Italian was handed a race ban following a shocking run of incidents in a matter of days. Lacorte will sit out the upcoming F3 round in Austria this month after collecting 18 penalty points across the recent weekends in Monaco and Spain. The DAMS driver collected seven initially in Monaco for causing a collision and ignoring a black flag; in Spain, he again twice caused a collision, whilst he was also punished twice for speeding behind the safety car. It means DAMS is now in search of a replacement for the races at the Red Bull Ring on June 28 and 29. Alpine, meanwhile, knows it has work to do with the 18-year-old to ensure he avoids further incidents in the future. "As a team, we fully support racing in a competitive and safe manner and respect the decisions of those policing the rules to ensure the safety of competitors," Alpine said in a statement to RacingNews365 . "Following the events in recent races in Monaco and Spain, we are working with Nicola and his team to examine the specific incidents that led to penalty points, and the actions to be taken to avoid them in future. "We will continue to work with Nicola to provide support and expertise, and assist with his development as a young Academy driver."