Colapinto accepted responsibility for the accident, admitting that he locked up while approaching Turn 1 during the Safety Car restart. Alpine had been on course for a potentially valuable double-points finish, with Gasly running seventh and Colapinto fighting inside the top 10, before the collision destroyed both cars’ races. The FIA stewards subsequently determined that Colapinto was predominantly responsible and handed him a 10-second penalty, which was converted into a five-place grid drop for the next race because he retired in Baku.

The aftermath, however, went far beyond criticism of the racing incident. Alpine said online abuse had been directed at one of its drivers as well as members of the wider Formula 1 community, including media personnel and rival teams. The team stressed that mistakes can happen when drivers are competing at the limit and argued that neither the result of a race nor a driver’s mistake should justify hateful or abusive comments.

The statement also made clear that Alpine was not targeting supporters of any particular driver or team. Instead, the Enstone-based outfit called for the entire F1 community to reject abusive behaviour and maintain healthy sporting rivalry. This is not the first time Alpine has spoken publicly about the issue, with the team previously addressing online hate following incidents earlier in the season. Alpine said the repeated nature of such incidents has made it necessary for teams to take a stronger position.

The situation adds another layer of controversy to an already difficult weekend for Alpine. Flavio Briatore has separately indicated that the team will take time to consider what action, if any, should follow Colapinto’s costly mistake, while Gasly has accepted his team-mate’s apology. With the next race approaching, the focus will now shift toward how Alpine responds on the track while continuing to deal with the increasingly toxic reaction surrounding the Baku crash.