Jack Doohan and Yuki Tsunoda victims of online harassment

Jack Doohan and Yuki Tsunoda became targets of a wave of online harassment during the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix weekend. The Australian, sidelined by Alpine after only six races to make way for Argentine Franco Colapinto, was forced to publicly denounce the circulation of false information about him and his family. As for Tsunoda, he faced racist attacks after a minor collision with Colapinto during free practice.

Doohan victim of false information

Jack Doohan and his family were victims of the spread of false information. Indeed, a fraudulent Instagram account claiming to belong to his father, Mick Doohan, shared a photo montage of Franco Colapinto's accident during the Imola qualifications, accompanied by laughing emojis and the comment « Very impressive ».

This fake montage suggested that the former motorcycle champion was mocking Colapinto's accident, which triggered a wave of hate against the Australian driver and his family from the supporters of the Argentine driver. Faced with this situation, Jack Doohan had to publicly intervene on Instagram to denounce these manipulations.

« As you can clearly see, the circulating story is completely false. Original posts have been altered to make it seem like my father posted them, which is entirely untrue. Please stop harassing my family », wrote Doohan on his Instagram stories.

Just like other people, the Australian driver initially attributed this doctored image to Argentine fans. However, in a later clarification, he specified that this was not the case: « The source is not Argentine. However, several Argentine media outlets shared this fabricated image, which triggered online harassment against my family. »

Since Colapinto's arrival at Alpine, Doohan has been regularly subjected to online harassment. However, the widespread dissemination of this doctored visual by some local media, without source verification, has provided fertile ground for the wave of attacks targeting him and his loved ones.

Tsunoda targeted after incident with Colapinto

In parallel, Yuki Tsunoda became the target of racist insults on his social media after expressing his frustration towards Colapinto during the first practice session. The Japanese driver had simply made a hand gesture after feeling hindered by the Argentine, a common behavior in such situations in F1. However, this reaction sparked a wave of online abuse, primarily in Spanish.

Asked in Imola about these numerous aggressive comments, Tsunoda admitted having heard about them before questioning the behavior of these fans: « I believe I understand that I am not the only target. They attack everyone, including Jack. Jack has done nothing wrong and they attack him, it's really unnecessary. It's normal to be frustrated when encountering traffic, it's happened to me plenty of times. I think I have the right to express something, but I didn't say anything mean or very negative. I just showed my frustration, that's all », he stated.

The Red Bull driver also called for more moderation among the fans. While he understands their desire to support their compatriot, he believes that certain limits had been crossed. He also clarified that his criticism was not so much about the attacks he personally suffered, but more about the treatment inflicted on Jack Doohan, which Tsunoda deemed unacceptable. According to him, the Australian driver clearly raced in a hostile environment. And while acknowledging the passion of the fans, he invited them to express it in a more constructive manner.

Franco Colapinto's call for respect

Following this incident with Tsunoda, Colapinto himself asked his supporters to exercise restraint: "I know they're extremely passionate and often very harsh with people. They need to show respect, that's what we all want. There's a lot of hate on social media... So obviously, we all wish, for all the drivers, that exchanges remain respectful and calm," he stated at Imola.

This stance on the subject is not the first from the Argentine. In February, when he joined Alpine as a reserve driver with the prospect of replacing Doohan, his manager Jamie Campbell-Walter already had to step in due to the hostile messages received by the Australian by stating: « The haters who think they're helping Franco. You're doing him more harm than good », but his words clearly had no impact on the young driver's supporters.

The reaction of Alpine and the FIA

In the face of this concerning situation, Alpine released a statement calling for kindness towards all drivers.

« As a F1 team, we believe we are fortunate to be part of a global sport that generates immense passion and emotion, with a fan community that continues to grow, following every move of their favorite drivers with fervor. We remind everyone that behind the visor of these exceptional athletes, there is a person. An individual with feelings, a family, friends, and loved ones. As a team, we do not tolerate online abuse and urge all fans of this sport we cherish to show kindness and respect », the statement reads.

Speaking before the Doohan incident, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem also firmly condemned these behaviors and expressed his support for the two drivers: « Motorsport is built on competition, passion, commitment, and each driver embodies these values. The passion and excitement we feel for our sport should unite us and never turn into insults or hatred. I fully support Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto, and I thank them for standing up against the growing problem of online abuse in motorsport. No one should endure threats, hate, or discrimination. Abuse and toxicity have no place in our community », he stated.

With the growing popularity of Formula 1 worldwide, managing fan behavior online is becoming an important issue for teams, drivers, and governing bodies. Outbursts, hate campaigns, and targeted attacks are reminders of how thin the line between passion and hostility can be.