Emilia-Romagna GP: Franco Colapinto asks fans to respect Yuki Tsunoda after abuse

Argentine Formula 1 rookie Franco Colapinto has urged his fans to be respectful after Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda received online abuse at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Colapinto, who is making his season’s debut for Renault-owned Alpine at Imola after replacing Australian Jack Doohan, accidentally blocked Tsunoda in the first Friday practice. Tsunoda responded by gesticulating back to Colapinto.

After the practice, Tsunoda received a series of abusive comments — much of them in Spanish — on his Instagram feed.

“I know they are extremely passionate, and they are always very harsh on people. They have to give respect, and that’s what we all want,” Colapinto told reporters.

“There is a lot of hate on social media … So of course we always try and want, for all the drivers, to keep it respectful and keep it calm there.”

Both Tsunoda and Colapinto crashed heavily in separate incidents during Saturday’s qualifying.

In February, after Colapinto joined Alpine as reserve with a widespread expectation that he would replace Doohan. The 21-year-old’s manager urged fans to be supportive of the whole team.

“The haters who think they help Franco. You are doing him more harm than good,” Jamie Campbell-Walter posted on social media after Doohan received abuse.

Tsunoda, who stepped up to the main Red Bull team from Racing Bulls in April as replacement for demoted Liam Lawson, told reporters he was aware of the situation and F1 might have to step in eventually.

“If it continues and it’s getting worse and worse, then at some point F1 should say something,” he said.