Alpine rejects ‘sabotage’ accusations in strong Colapinto defence

Pierre Gasly has enjoyed a strong start to the season, securing three consecutive points finishes — the latest coming at Suzuka, where he managed to keep his former team-mate Max Verstappen behind.

As a result, Alpine now sits fifth in the Constructors’ standings, level on points with Red Bull. Gasly has been responsible for the vast majority of that tally, scoring 15 of the team’s 16 points, while Franco Colapinto has managed just a single point and has struggled to match his team-mate’s pace.

However, in a recent open letter, the French outfit made it clear that both drivers are treated equally, both on and off the track: "Franco is our driver and the team has placed its trust in him, just as he has with the team. That is an indication of the commitment we have to Franco and his place in the team with equal footing alongside Pierre.

The note finally reads: "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. From the opening races, the team finds itself in a strong position and the team is not counting on its laurels and is staying grounded.

In the same statement, the French team has issued a firm response to the wave of online abuse directed at Colapinto following his collision with Oliver Bearman at Suzuka.

The Argentine faced intense backlash after drifting left on the straight while running out of battery, creating a major speed differential that left Bearman with nowhere to go before hitting the barriers at high speed.

In addressing the situation, Alpine backed its driver without singling out any particular group, instead condemning toxic behaviour across social media. The team also pointed out that the FIA reviewed the incident and opted against further action, while reaffirming its ongoing efforts to monitor and moderate its online platforms to tackle abusive content.