Gasly says threats followed Spanish GP incident

Pierre Gasly said he and people close to him received threats and abusive messages after the Spanish Grand Prix, following a race incident involving Alpine teammate Franco Colapinto. Gasly called the attacks inappropriate and urged Formula 1 to work toward a healthier environment for fans and competitors. Gasly said the abuse reached family members, including his girlfriend. Speaking ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, he said athletes are exposed to criticism but that threats and attacks crossing over to relatives went beyond acceptable limits. He also said online users should be able to support or dislike drivers without targeting them personally. The accounts of the messages in the reports stem from Gasly’s interview comments; the messages themselves and the scale of the abuse were not independently established. Colapinto said he knew Gasly had received many messages but had not seen them himself. He supported efforts to stop the attacks and said it was upsetting to see abuse directed at a teammate. The backlash followed Alpine’s handling of the closing stages in Spain. Gasly finished 12th and Colapinto seventh.