Alpine highlight “equal opportunity for both drivers to be competitive,” in open letter addressing online abuse

Alpine have issued an open letter highlighting their commitment to providing “equal opportunity for both drivers to be competitive,” following online abuse accusing the team of sabotaging Franco Colapinto’s car.

The letter also addressed the vitriol surrounding the Argentine driver’s incidents with Haas drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman across the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix.

The sabotage claims emerged during the Shanghai weekend, where it was alleged that Pierre Gasly’s car was deliberately superior in performance to Colapinto’s. This claim was ultimately rebuked by Alpine, who addressed the issue of low-performance-impacting parts used in China.

“The team endeavours to put the two fastest cars on track and provide equal opportunity for both drivers to be competitive and score important points for the team in the championship,” said the open letter.

“This has remained the case this year and both Pierre and Franco have been running with the same equipment, barring some small low-performance impacting parts in China due to switching gearbox components.

“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.

“It’s absolutely not in the team’s interests to not score points and any suggestion of self sabotage isn’t conducive to that ultimate end goal.

“In some instances, given the need to fast-track parts and carefully manage the manufacturing process, the team is only able to bring select parts or upgrades to some events.

“There might be times this year when pushing in the development race that upgrades come to one car first, which the team will communicate and be completely transparent about.

“That being said, the aim will always remain to bring upgrades to both cars where possible.”

Firmly refuting any technical disparity between their cars, Alpine’s statement also reiterated its support for Colapinto. The 22-year-old replaced Jack Doohan from Imola onwards last year; however, he scored no points for the remainder of the season, though he earned a reprieve for 2026.

The Argentine did break his points-less streak in China, which dated back to 2024, with a tenth-place finish.

“Franco is our driver and the team has placed its trust in him, just as he has with the team,” the letter continued.

“That is an indication of the commitment we have to Franco and his place in the team with equal footing alongside Pierre.”

Having not publicly addressed the hateful online discourse following Ocon’s collision with Colapinto in China, Alpine moved to condemn the comments directed at the Frenchman, as well as messages aimed at their own driver following Bearman’s 50G shunt at Suzuka.

“The team condemns the hateful messages aimed towards Franco after last weekend’s race in Japan, the same way it condemns the abuse and threats that were aimed towards Esteban Ocon following a collision between the two cars at the Chinese Grand Prix,” the letter elaborated.

“The resulting abuse that followed was not in the spirit of the sport and it was an oversight not to call it out sooner. Abuse of any kind towards drivers is unacceptable.

“The two drivers were racing hard and fighting for position, and Esteban took full responsibility and apologised to Franco, actively seeking him out in the media pen and also apologising on social media.

“It was especially disappointing that it comes from a minority of fans of the team towards a driver who has given so much to the team in the past and is a Grand Prix winner for Alpine.”

Alpine also admitted that the delay in responding to the abuse directed at Ocon was an “oversight” from a team perspective, confirming that they will collaborate with the FIA and Formula 1 to address hateful online behaviour from some fans.

“At the last two races, the team has been the fourth fastest car and we know we have to work incredibly hard to stay there and have two cars regularly in with a chance of scoring points,” the letter also highlighted.

Alpine appear to be in a stronger competitive position than last year, when they finished at the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship. For 2026, they switched to a Mercedes-Benz engine supply, replacing Renault, and currently sit fifth overall—tied with Red Bull Racing.

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Written by

Jawad Yaqub

An eCommerce Specialist by day and reporting on F1 by night. Jawad is passionate about motorsport, having provided accredited F1 coverage for more than a decade. Live blogging (almost) every grand prix too since 2014, as well as articles on the Supercars Championship. Also keen on sustainability, photography, collecting vinyl, (trying to) expertly barbeque and learning to Dad.

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