Formula 1 has also spoken out against the online hate messages targeting drivers Jack Doohan and Yuki Tsunoda. The two were subjected to a barrage of online insults last week from fans of Franco Colapinto. The Argentine driver himself and the FIA had already condemned the online hate, but now Formula 1 is taking a step further with a call to the social media platforms themselves.
Franco Colapinto’s return to Formula 1 has not been entirely smooth. During his first weekend in the Alpine, a vocal minority of the Argentine’s fans caused quite a stir online. Both Jack Doohan, Colapinto’s predecessor, and Yuki Tsunoda, following a minor incident in the free practice at Imola, were the victims of online hate messages.
Both the FIA and Colapinto himself called for an end to the online abuse, and Alpine also issued a statement. “We encourage everyone to remember that beneath the helmet of these super athletes is a person,” wrote the French team. “An individual with family, friends, and loved ones. As a team, we cannot turn a blind eye to online abuse and we strongly urge all fans to be kind and respectful.” Many Argentine fans themselves also showed their support for Tsunoda by expressing their solidarity with the Japanese driver on Instagram.
Call to Action for Social Media Platforms
Formula 1 is now taking a step further, calling on social media platforms themselves to take action. “No one should be exposed to abuse online or in any other form,” said F1 in a statement to Autosport. “Jack Doohan and Yuki Tsunoda are wonderful people, highly talented drivers, and ambassadors for our sport who, along with their families, should be treated with respect rather than abused by people hiding behind social media.”
“Formula 1 is a tight-knit community and we all condemn these acts,” the statement continues. “We will continue to work across the sport to collectively block and report abuse to social media platforms, but those platforms need to do more to stop the spread of nasty comments and abuse.”
