Fake post fuels fury for Doohan family: ‘Stop harassing my family’

Alpine Formula 1 reserve driver Jack Doohan has issued a powerful rebuke to online abusers after his family became the target of a viral social media hoax.

In a pointed and personal statement, Doohan condemned the spread of a fabricated Instagram post falsely attributed to his father — five-time MotoGP world champion Mick Doohan — which was circulated following Franco Colapinto’s crash in qualifying at Imola.

The faked image, purporting to show Mick Doohan mocking Colapinto’s mishap with laughing emojis and a sarcastic caption, was quickly picked up by media outlets in both Argentina and Australia.

The original source of the doctored post was a parody F1 account on X, whose attempt at satire instead unleashed a wave of harassment aimed squarely at the Doohan family.

“Stop Harassing My Family”

The fallout pushed Jack Doohan to speak out publicly in an Instagram story, where he made clear that the viral post was not only false but maliciously manipulated.

“As you can clearly see, the story circulating above is completely false,” Doohan stated.

“It was fabricated by Argentine fans attempting to portray me and my family in a negative light. They edited the original content to make it appear as though my father posted it, which is entirely untrue.

“Please stop harassing my family. I didn’t think I would have to get to this point.”

Doohan also clarified that while the parody account behind the fake post is not based in Argentina, the real-world impact was driven by legitimate media outlets in the country spreading the image as truth.

“Multiple Argentine outlets falsely reported the fabricated image which trigger[ed] online abuse on my family.

“This type of content is so damaging.”

The young driver’s plea underscored the toll of being thrust into a social media storm, especially after his recent demotion to reserve driver and replacement by Colapinto, a move that already had the Aussie under scrutiny.

Parody Account’s Regret and Alpine’s Rebuke

The parody account on X behind the post, issued a rare apology, acknowledging the unintended harm.

“The Doohan family does not deserve to be attacked in the way they evidently were for our fake news post,” the account stated. “We did not expect this post to cause any damage.

“We deeply, sincerely apologise to the Doohan family. This has been a wake up call on the real, tangible effects of social media.”

They explained that the post was meant as a joke, parodying Mick Doohan’s earlier social media activity comparing Jack’s results to teammate Pierre Gasly’s.

“Again, we are sorry. It was never, ever our intention to draw hate towards any driver, and we should have made it more transparent that we are a parody account.”

Alpine, too, weighed in, condemning the abuse without directly naming Doohan, whose demotion had already stirred controversy. The team’s statement on Monday also addressed separate racist attacks on Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda following a practice incident with Colapinto.

“As an F1 team, we believe we are fortunate to be part of a global sport that evokes great passion and emotions, with an ever-growing community of fans who enthusiastically follow their favourite drivers’ every move, whether it be a brave overtake on track or what style they are sporting when they arrive in the paddock,” Alpine said.

• Read also: FIA president steps in, denounces online abuse of Yuki Tsunoda

“We encourage everyone to remember that behind the visor of these superhuman athletes there is a person. An individual with feelings, family, friends and loved ones.

“As a team, we cannot condone online abuse and urge all fans of this sport we love, to be kind and respectful.”

The fake post saga, amplified by media missteps, has exposed the fine line between passionate fandom and harmful harassment. For Doohan, the fight is no longer just on the track but against a digital mob that has forced him to defend his family’s honor.

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