Alpine backs Franco Colapinto after Jeremy Clarkson’s nationality remark
The Formula 1 team said a guest’s comments in Austin did not reflect its values after Clarkson joked about penalising its Argentine driver.
Alpine backed Formula 1 driver Franco Colapinto in Austin, Texas, on October 24 after Jeremy Clarkson joked about giving him a grid penalty for being Argentine ahead of the US Grand Prix, Reuters reported. The team said the comments did not reflect its values, bringing a public response from Alpine before Sunday’s race.
Clarkson made the remarks in an interview with Sky Sports while visiting Alpine as a guest, according to Reuters. After saying Colapinto had a penalty for being Argentine, Clarkson added: “Well, I’d give him one for that.” Colapinto’s actual 10-place grid penalty for the race at the Circuit of the Americas was for power-unit component changes.
Alpine’s response to Clarkson’s remarks
Alpine did not name Clarkson in its quoted statement. “We’re aware of the comments made in a recent TV interview from a guest of the team in Austin,” it said, according to Reuters. The team called the remarks personal views that did not align with its values of kindness and respect, adding: “Franco is our driver and has our full support.”
Colapinto’s manager, Jamie Campbell-Walter, also criticised the remarks in a post on X reported by Reuters. He called comments about Colapinto’s nationality “completely unacceptable” and said prominent visitors to Formula 1 should be held to the same standard of respect expected of supporters.
Context ahead of the US Grand Prix
Clarkson referred to “what happened when we went there.” Reuters linked that remark to a 2014 Top Gear trip to Patagonia that prompted protests over a car registration plate some viewed as a reference to the 1982 Falklands War. Argentina claims sovereignty over the islands, which it calls Las Malvinas.
The exchange came amid a separate concern about abuse directed at people around Colapinto. Earlier in the week, he said hostile comments had “crossed a few lines lately” and that some supporters had targeted his mechanics and engineer while blaming others for racing incidents. “People from my team that want me to do well and help me perform” were receiving such messages, he said, according to Reuters.
Colapinto had discussed Alpine’s recent ups and downs in a Formula 1 interview dated October 22, expressing hope that the team could change its fortunes in Austin. The US Grand Prix was scheduled for October 25; Reuters described Colapinto’s grid penalty before the race.
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Sources and context
- Alpine F1 team defends Colapinto after Clarkson commentsChannel NewsAsia (Reuters)
- Colapinto: Alpine have 'a strong enough car to turn things around' in AustinFormula 1
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.