Franco Colapinto makes curiously worded F1 fan plea amid abuse surge

Franco Colapinto has made his strongest plea yet to his Formula 1 fans amid a surge in abuse, while curiously claiming they are “not helping me or my future”.

The Alpine driver has been at the centre of a surge in online abuse targeted at various drivers on the grid this season.

The likes of Esteban Ocon, Colapinto’s own team-mate Pierre Gasly, and reigning champion Lando Norris have all received a torrent of abuse from Argentinian fans in 2026.

This led to Alpine’s Flavio Briatore threatening Argentine media with a blackout on Colapinto if the situation didn’t improve.

Colapinto’s strongest statement yet

Colapinto has, on several occasions, addressed this matter, but has now posted his strongest statement yet.

In a video posted on his Instagram in his native Spanish, Colapinto said the abuse his fans have been directing at others is “not helping me or my future”.

“Hello everyone, there’s something very important that I’ve needed to talk to you about for some time,” he said.

“I probably should have spoken to all of you sooner, but this is something that needs to be addressed, something we need to change and improve.

“I will always be grateful, and I genuinely feel incredibly fortunate, to have had you all supporting me from the very beginning.

“I’m grateful for all the support you give me, for how you help me achieve results, and for how you constantly push me to aim higher.

“You help me and the team achieve our results, race after race, day after day, as we train and try to improve.

“And I’m genuinely grateful for all of that.

“I know it makes you incredibly proud when things go well for me, when I score points for myself and the team. And I have always been very grateful for that support.

“But sometimes, we go too far.

“Instead of supporting me, we end up criticising people and attacking other drivers, other colleagues, my team-mates, my mechanics, my engineers – people I work with every single day.

“I know you think you’re defending me, but you’re actually doing the opposite. You’re not helping me or my future.”

Is Colapinto’s F1 future at risk over fan abuse?

Colapinto’s final comment is curiously phrased.

He currently has a contract in place with Alpine for the 2027 season, having penned a new deal in the summer.

In theory, with F1 pursuing a race in Argentina in the near future, his presence on the grid could be secured beyond 2027.

But how much Alpine is willing to put up with the baggage that comes with Colapinto will depend on his results. Currently, he is 12th in the standings on 27 points with a best finish of sixth.

At the moment, team-mate Pierre Gasly is doing a better job with 41 points and 10th in the standings.

Should Alpine decide, after next year, that Colapinto isn’t doing enough, it’s hard to picture many other teams willing to take on the headache of an unpredictable fan base for an underperforming driver.