Alpine reject sabotage claims and condemn abuse targeting Colapinto and Ocon

Paris: Alpine on Thursday denounced online abuse aimed at Argentine Formula One driver Franco Colapinto after the Japanese Grand Prix and death threats directed at former team driver Esteban Ocon following an earlier incident in China. The Renault-owned team also rejected claims from some supporters that Colapinto was being treated unfairly or denied equipment equal to teammate Pierre Gasly.

In a detailed statement, Alpine addressed the backlash that followed two separate incidents involving Colapinto. At Suzuka last Sunday, Colapinto was involved in an episode linked to Oliver Bearman’s high-speed crash. Bearman, driving for Haas, swerved to avoid Colapinto’s much slower car and hit the barriers at 308kph with an impact measured at 50G.

The team also referred to an earlier clash in Shanghai last month involving Ocon, who now races for Haas alongside Bearman. According to Alpine, Ocon had already accepted responsibility for that collision.

Esteban took full responsibility and apologised to Franco, actively seeking him out in the media pen and also apologising on social media. The resulting abuse that followed was not in the spirit of the sport and was an oversight not to call it out sooner.

Alpine said abuse directed at any driver was unacceptable and expressed particular disappointment that some of the messages had come from a minority of the team’s own fans toward Ocon, whom it described as a driver who had contributed significantly to the team and had won a Grand Prix for Alpine.

The statement also condemned the reaction to Colapinto after Suzuka.

First of all, the most important thing is the safety and wellbeing of the drivers and thankfully Ollie is okay.

The closing speeds are a characteristic of these cars and as stated by the FIA, it's something that will be closely reviewed in the coming weeks.

The FIA also reviewed the incident involving Franco and Ollie during the race and deemed that no further action was necessary.

Team dismisses claims over unequal treatment

Alpine said it also wanted to respond to concerns circulating about how its two drivers were being treated, with some fans suggesting sabotage or unequal machinery.

Any questions about sabotage or not giving Franco the same car are completely unfounded, which is why the team felt the need to speak out.

The team said there could be occasions during the season when one car receives upgrades before the other because of the pace of development, but added that such decisions would be communicated openly.

There might be times this year when pushing in the development race that upgrades come to one car first, which the team will communicate and be completely transparent about. That being said, the aim will always remain to bring upgrades to both cars where possible.

It's absolutely not in the team's interests to not score points and any suggestion of self sabotage isn't conducive to that ultimate end goal.. there's no withholding of information or keeping performance tricks hidden away.

Formula One is currently on a break after the cancellation of April races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to conflict in the Gulf region.

Bearman’s crash has also intensified discussion around safety concerns linked to Formula One’s new cars. Battery harvesting and deployment patterns at different points of a lap can create dangerous speed differences between cars.

After three races this season, Gasly has taken 15 of Alpine’s 16 points, while Colapinto’s only point came in China. Grand Prix Drivers' Association lead Carlos Sainz also criticised the FIA after the race, saying the governing body had prioritised spectacle over driver safety.