Franco Colapinto calls out 'aggressive' F1 fans with fresh threat

Franco Colapinto has again implored F1 fans to be more respectful in the wake of the online abuse storm currently engulfing the paddock.

The Alpine driver has also threatened to ban his own fans on social media, admitting some of his "very passionate" supporters can be "a bit aggressive" towards his fellow F1 drivers.

Having only returned to a race seat last weekend, at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the Argentine had to deal with a pair of unwelcome distractions off-track on what was a poor first weekend racing alongside Pierre Gasly on it.

Two separate online incidents - one involving Yuki Tsunoda and another surrounding the Doohan family - has brought the issue of hate, including racism and serious threats, in F1 social media spaces into sharp focus.

"I received a lot of criticism on social media since I was in Formula 2, Colapinto told media, including RacingNews365, when asked if more needed to be done to combat the growing problem.

"That happens, we are athletes, and we have to focus on what we can control. There is things out of our control that we cannot really change, how people respect the others and what those people do, and I try my best to try to ban people that I can control a little bit more that are my fans.

"So, that’s a work in progress. I know there is some overreacting, and they are very passionate, but they are also very euphoric, and some are a bit aggressive. That’s the reality.

"On my side, I’m trying to do my best. I know a lot of people are receiving hate. I did as well. So just things that we need to take out of our head when you’re on track and just focus on driving."

Hate aimed at Tsunoda

The first incident saw Tsunoda targeted online by enraged Colapinto fans after he reacted to the Alpine driver blocking him on track during practice at Imola.

This prompted both the Japanese driver and the 21-year-old to address the issue in media sessions over the weekend in Italy.

Ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Colapinto defended the Red Bull driver, insisting he would have reacted similarly had the shoe been on the other foot.

"But, like the Yuki one, I mean, I would have been really upset if someone blocked me like I did to Yuki, so honestly, he’s right, and he’s completely right to get upset," he said.

"He was upset as I would have been if someone blocked me like that. And I understand him. I think he did the right thing - it's just really bad to see him receive hate for that.

"There is different moments in not only motorsport, I think in sports in general, that people have to behave better, and we have also to do our best as the people in the sport, to try to calm the people down, make them understand that they have to enjoy the sport as much as they can, watching on TV or watching at the track, but not inducing that lack of respect that some have."

Mick Doohan imitation

Following that, a fake social media post imitating Jack Doohan's father, Mick, went viral. The content of the post was a still image of Colapinto's crashed Alpine from qualifying at Imola with "very impressive" written over the top, accompanied with multiple crying-laughing face emojis.

It triggered an onslaught of abuse aimed at the Doohan family, with the driver Colapinto replaced also taking to social media to condemn the wave of harassment. 

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Alpine have since issued statements on the matter of online hate.

When asked if he had anything he would like to say to his fans, Colapinto did not address them directly, but further reiterated his stance on the matter.

"I try to control it as much as I can, and it's not in my control," he explained. "I never like when I see bad comments, bad messages to our drivers. I don't like when I see bad comments or bad messages to me as well. So I’m kind of in the same position, and it’s never nice, you know?

"I try to do my best, as I said before, to calm them down, and that's all I can do, help them understand that it’s not the right thing to do.

"Of course, they have all the freedom and liberty to write what they feel and what they want, but always keeping the respect and keeping the certain line and not going over that."