The Alpine F1 team has hit out against allegations from fans it is sabotaging one of its own drivers.
After the first three race meetings, Frenchman Pierre Gasly has beaten teammate Franco Colapinto across every qualifying and race session – the only driver on the grid to have done so against their teammate.
Colapinto’s lacklustre performances compared to Gasly had led to fans accusing the squad not only of favouring Gasly by giving him better and faster upgrades, but also of actively sabotaging the Argentine’s car.
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In a lengthy post to social media, the team condemned the “hateful” discourse that had filled its comments sections before staunchly denying the sabotage allegations.
The Alpine F1 team has released a statement defending allegations it is sabotaging Franco Colapinto. Getty
“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,” the statement read.
“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. However, that is never the intended or desired approach, as, if the part is a performance upgrade as we hope and intend, then we want it available on both cars immediately.
“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.
“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.
Colapinto did not score a point in his 2025 campaign. Getty
“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.
“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.”
Teams are awarded prize money at the end of the year based on where they finished in the constructors’ championship. Points from both cars are combined for the team’s overall score.
“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,” the statement continued.
After a shocking year in 2025, in which it had comfortably the slowest car on track and finished last in the constructors’ standings, Alpine has found itself at the head of the midfield under the new 2026 regulations.
Last time out in Japan, Gasly was easily able to keep the Red Bull of four-time world champion Max Verstappen behind him on his way to a brilliant seventh-place finish, to go with his 10th and sixth-place finishes in Melbourne and Shanghai.
At Suzuka, Colapinto meanwhile finished more than 30 seconds behind his teammate down in 16th, and was involved in a massive crash with the Haas of Oliver Bearman. Colapinto finished 14th and 10th in Melbourne and Shanghai.
Neither driver scored in the Chinese sprint.
Pierre Gasly has been the dominant Alpine driver so far. Getty
As they are in football, the Argentine fanbase is one of the most parochial in the sport, regularly flooding the comments sections of any post in which Colapinto is mentioned. Journalists and pundits have also been targeted by fans for any criticism.
In Miami last year, Jack Doohan was forced to hire bodyguards over safety concerns from fans who wanted him replaced by Colapinto. They got their wish days later.
F1 is in the middle of five-week break caused by the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix.
The next race meeting is a sprint weekend in Miami between May 2-4 (AEST).