Briatore threatens media blackout over Gasly abuse

Flavio Briatore has drawn a very clear line under the increasingly ugly fallout from Alpine’s Spanish Grand Prix clash, warning that Franco Colapinto could lose access to Argentinian media if fans continue directing online abuse at Pierre Gasly.

The Alpine executive advisor was responding to a storm that erupted after Gasly and Colapinto found themselves at the centre of controversy in Madrid.

Gasly was running on the slower tyre and Alpine chose not to ask him to move aside before his pit stop, a decision that triggered an angry reaction from sections of Colapinto’s fanbase.

For Gasly, however, the backlash went far beyond the usual social-media noise.

“Personally, I find it a little bit disturbing for our sport,” he said ahead of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. “I’m a top athlete, so I know I’m exposed; it’s always been the case.

“But the extent of the threats, attacks, I find completely inappropriate, especially when it reaches out to family members, girlfriend, etc.”

Briatore threatens to pull the plug

Briatore has evidently had enough of the abuse and delivered an unusually direct message to Colapinto’s supporters, making clear that backing their driver does not give them a licence to attack his team-mate.

“Especially for the Argentinians, because it’s not a question about the Italians or whatever,” he said of fan reaction when asked about the Colapinto/Gasly incident.

“If the Argentinians want to support Franco, they [should] support Franco clean, loyal, not what I see on social media.”

The warning then became considerably more concrete. Briatore suggested that Alpine could simply shut down Colapinto’s access to the Argentinian media altogether if the online hostility continues.

“If not, at one point Franco will stop talking with everybody,” he added.

“Because if I see every time we have a lot of anger from the fans, and this and that, for no reason, if the people are like that then we will stop the interviews with the Argentinian television, we will stop everything, because it doesn’t make sense what I’m reading on social media.”

• Read also: Gasly reveals ‘disturbing’ online abuse after Spanish GP

That would be a remarkable consequence of what began as a relatively routine intra-team disagreement on track, but Briatore clearly believes the line has been crossed when criticism of a driver starts spilling over onto his team-mate and their families.

His final message was delivered with a touch of exasperation, but also a reminder of what Colapinto represents to his home country.

“You’re lucky, in Argentina you have a promising driver,” Briatore concluded.

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