Alpine hit back at sabotage claims over Franco Colapinto | OneFootball

Through a letter, the French team stated that its two drivers compete on equal terms.

After the first three races of the Formula 1 season, several Franco Colapinto fans took to social media to accuse Alpine of not giving the Argentine the same car conditions as his teammate Pierre Gasly.

So much so that some even claimed there was sabotage against the Pilar native, arguing that the French team preferred Gasly, who is from France, to achieve better results, as has happened at the start of the year, in which he has already collected 15 points.

In this regard, Alpine posted an open letter to its fans on social media in which it condemned the harassment sparked by the crashes Colapinto suffered at the Chinese GP, along with the incident involving Ollie Bearman at the Japanese GP, in which the Haas driver had to retire.

In addition, the team explained that Colapinto’s and Gasly’s cars are on equal footing, with the particular detail that some modifications were made at the Chinese GP using lower-performance parts due to the replacement of gearbox components.

And in conclusion, they stated that during the final stretch of development, upgrades will first be introduced on one car, something the team will communicate with complete transparency. If they work, they will quickly look to add them to the other car.

Alpine’s full letter

After reviewing the online and social media reactions following the Japanese Grand Prix, as a team we feel we have a duty to our fans to address certain points and questions that have been raised, and also to once again speak out against the hate and abuse directed not only at one of our drivers, but also at our racing colleagues and other members of the Formula One family.

The team has already taken a firm stance condemning any hateful, abusive, threatening or harassing behavior online and on social media, and has issued statements not only to condemn it, but also to encourage people to enjoy social media responsibly and follow community guidelines.

Our position on this has not changed and remains the same. Social media should be a place to bring people together, share experiences and encourage constructive debate. In a sport as competitive and complex as this, there will always be differing opinions and disagreements, but we encourage all fans of every team and driver to express themselves with respect and kindness.

This is not about any particular group of fans, but about the entire Formula One community coming together to enjoy the sport we all love and are passionate about.

The team condemns the hateful messages directed at Franco after last weekend’s race in Japan, just as it condemns the insults and threats directed at Esteban Ocon following the collision between the two cars at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Both drivers were racing hard and fighting for position. Esteban took full responsibility and apologized to Franco, actively seeking him out in the media pen and also apologizing on social media. The abuse that followed was against the spirit of sportsmanship, and it was a mistake not to denounce it sooner. Any kind of abuse toward drivers is unacceptable, and it was especially disappointing that it came from a minority of the team’s fans toward a driver who contributed so much to the team in the past and won a Grand Prix with Alpine.

Subsequently, the team also condemns the hateful behavior toward Franco following the incident with Ollie Bearman at Suzuka. First and foremost, the most important thing is the safety and well-being of the drivers, and fortunately Ollie is fine. Closing speeds are a characteristic of these cars and, as the FIA has indicated, this will be looked at closely in the coming weeks.

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

The team closely monitors its channels and uses specific tools to moderate comments that do not comply with our community guidelines. In addition, we maintain an ongoing dialogue with Formula 1 and the FIA on this issue, and we want to address it and mitigate it going forward.

Now that the team and the sport are entering a brief break and reflecting on the first three races of the new season, the team also wants to clarify the concerns of some fans regarding equality between our two cars.

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

The team closely monitors its channels and uses specific tools to moderate comments that do not comply with our community guidelines. In addition, we maintain an ongoing dialogue with Formula 1 and the FIA on this issue, and we want to address it and mitigate it going forward.

Now that the team and the sport are entering a brief break and reflecting on the first three races of the new season, the team also wants to clarify the concerns of some fans regarding equality between our two cars.

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 on the matter. It is possible that this year, during the final phase of development, upgrades will be introduced on one car first, something the team will communicate with full transparency. That said, the goal will always be to introduce upgrades on both cars whenever possible.

It is absolutely not in the team’s interest not to score points, and any attempt at self-sabotage does not help achieve that ultimate goal. From the opening races, the team has been in a strong position, but it is not getting carried away and is keeping its feet on the ground. In the last two races, the team has been the fourth fastest, and we know we have to work extremely hard to stay there and have two cars regularly in contention for points.

The Enstone team is working tirelessly, motivated by you, the fans, to keep pushing in the hope of achieving more strong results. Pierre and Franco are also working hard and will be in Enstone during the break with the engineers and in the simulator, searching for maximum performance.

One of the things that often goes unnoticed and is not seen often enough is the tremendous effort the drivers make to work together and share information. Pierre and Franco often meet in the engineering office to share data and feedback. As a team, we are fortunate to have someone with Pierre’s experience and, as can be seen from his performances in the opening races, he is an exceptional driver capable of performing at an extremely high level consistently.

The engineering team is very united and everyone is working in the same direction. This includes Pierre and Franco. No information is being hidden and no tricks are being kept back to improve performance. That belongs to the past and is not part of modern Formula 1, where all information and data are needed to succeed as a team. This is especially true with these new cars, power units and on-track race strategy.

As racing fans, we are looking forward to competing again and hope to return in Miami in a few weeks. We will use this break to analyze the first three races, look for ways to improve and keep pushing to come back even stronger. Franco, meanwhile, is excited to return to Argentina, enjoy the passion of the fans and give back their unconditional support.

On track, our rivals will not rest or stand still, so neither will we.

We greatly appreciate your continued support; it does not go unnoticed. Keep an eye on our channels to stay up to date with the latest news, and we will continue sharing stories and exclusive content from the factory to show you the team’s progress.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.