Pierre Gasly has voiced his dismay over a wave of social media abuse and threats directed at him and his family, including his girlfriend, following an on-track incident with Alpine Formula 1 teammate Franco Colapinto at the Spanish Grand Prix. The Frenchman described the situation as "disturbing" for the sport.
The incident occurred on the final lap at the Madring circuit when Gasly, on an in-lap, held up Colapinto, who was running seventh and being chased by McLaren's Oscar Piastri. Although Colapinto did not lose a position, the delay allowed Piastri to close in and prompted multiple radio complaints. Gasly finished 12th, while Colapinto came home seventh. Subsequently, Gasly and those close to him faced attacks across various social media platforms.
"Personally, I find it a little bit disturbing for our sport," Gasly told The Race. "I'm a top athlete, so I know I'm exposed, it's always been the case, but the extent of the threats, attacks, I find completely inappropriate, especially when it reaches out to family members, [my] girlfriend etc. I don't think that should be the case."
Gasly stressed that the line between criticism and abuse is frequently crossed. "Things were not that way in the past and as a sport we just need to find a way to make it a healthier place because you're exposed, you know you are going to be attacked. You can be liked, disliked, it's completely fine, but there is a certain line that should not be crossed just because you're behind a screen and a keyboard, and these lines are crossed too many times."
Colapinto acknowledged the abuse and supported Gasly's stance. "I think he got a lot of people messaging him," said Colapinto. "I haven't seen it because I'm not on social media a lot, but it's never nice to get it, even more when it's happening to the team that I'm racing in. We are team-mates and we get on very well together. We are playing and focusing on the same result, and [have] the same goal and the same target - that is to make Alpine better. We are always working as a team and it's not nice to see it."
The Argentine also highlighted that such issues often affect other drivers, citing Yuki Tsunoda last year. "The stewards, after Zandvoort, I went to see them as well. They had some abuse after the penalty they gave me. It happens a lot with fans in Formula 1, in any sport nowadays, it's something very common. Unfortunately, that shouldn't be common. Definitely, we should be taking more care about the things, the words that come out of the keyboards of everyone."
He added, "The way to support us as a team is to push the team forward and stay strong together. Hopefully, it doesn't keep happening. But it's something tricky with fans in the sport. It's not just my fans. I've got some very passionate ones. They want me to do well. Hopefully, they can enjoy the good results I'm having."
The Madring incident serves as a reminder that the pressures of racing extend beyond the track into digital spaces that are often difficult to police. Both Gasly and Colapinto hope that a supportive culture can replace unfounded personal attacks. As fan interaction via social media grows, fostering sportsmanship becomes a shared responsibility across the Formula 1 ecosystem.
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