Franco Colapinto fans have urged the FIA and Formula 1 to speak out after the Alpine driver was subjected to abuse, and even death threats, after an incident with Oscar Piastri at the Austrian Grand Prix.

McLaren were in a class of their own at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday as race leader Lando Norris and Piastri, who was fighting his team-mate for the victory, lapped everyone up to and including the seventh-placed car.

Franco Colapinto subjected to vile abuse online

One of the drivers they lapped was Colapinto.

However, the Argentine driver wasn’t aware that Piastri was screaming up behind him as he raced Yuki Tsunoda for position at the back of the field.

The battle came to a head at Turn 3, as Tsunoda squeezed Colapinto, who, determined to regain the position, moved across to the right side of the track only to squeeze Piastri on to the grass on the approach to Turn 4.

Piastri, a former Alpine junior driver, wasn’t impressed and said over team radio: “Alpine still manages to find a way to f**k me over all these years later.”

Colapinto was handed a five-second penalty for forcing a driver off the track, as well as a penalty point on his Super Licence.

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Piastri fans bombarded Colapinto’s most recent Instagram post with hateful abuse, with the Argentine’s supporters calling on the FIA and Formula 1 to condemn it as they did when Colapinto fans turned on Yuki Tsunoda and Jack Doohan earlier in the year.

“F1, FIA, please take note of all the hate that Franco has received in this post,” wrote one fan, another asking “are hate and bad comments only punished when they’re from an Argentinian? Be fair and treat everyone equally.”

Piastri was also urged to say something. “Oscar Piastri, you won’t say anything about your fans attacking Franco?” read one comment.

It is not the first time this season that a Formula 1 driver has been subjected to vile abuse on social media, with Doohan and Tsunoda also targeted.

After being dropped by Alpine to make way for Colapinto, Doohan’s father, Mick, was attacked on social media over a manipulated image that was said to have come from his X account, which was not true.

“Please stop harassing my family,” said the former F1 driver. “I didn’t think it would have to get to this point.”

Tsunoda, who had a moment with Colapinto in a practice session, also faced abuse and told fans: “It’s good that they have energy, but just control it, and I feel like they can use the energy in the right way and in a much better way.

“If it still continues and it’s getting worse and worse, for sure, at some point F1 should say something.”

For his part, Colapinto did urge his fans to “give respect”, adding: “There is a lot of hate on social media, and that’s what I would think. So, of course, we always try and want – for all the drivers – to keep it respectful and keep it calm there.”

The FIA spoke out at the time with multiple FIA-sanctioned open-wheel series joining forces to issue a statement condemning social media abuse.

Posted by the FIA, Formula 1, Formula 2, and Formula 3, the Instagram post read: “On behalf of our Teams and Drivers, F1, F2, F3 and the FIA, through their United Against Online Abuse campaign, firmly condemn abuse and harassment of any form.

“We’ll continue to collectively act upon and report abuse to social media platforms.

“Whether you are a fan or a part of the motorsport world, we are all driven by passion.

“At the heart of it all, there are humans.

“We urge everyone to remain respectful towards the athletes and their teams.”

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