"No abuse in F1 please": Former champion on Yuki Tsunoda getting attacked by Franco Colapinto fans

Ex-F1 world champion Damon Hill defended Yuki Tsunoda after he was subject to online abuse by Franco Colapinto fans. Hill firmly stated that giving hate to someone is not cool, and such hostility has no place in Formula 1.

Colapinto, who replaced Jack Doohan at Alpine, had an incident with Tsunoda at the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. In the first free practice session on Friday, the Red Bull driver accused the Argentine of impeding him.

Miffed by his antics, Tsunoda passed him on the straights and flipped his finger to express his strong resentment. However, the gesture didn't sit well with Colapinto fans as they hurled abuse at the Japanese driver on social media.

After the controversy blew out in the open, Franco Colapinto urged his fans to show respect to Yuki Tsunoda. Talking to ESPN, the Alpine driver said,

"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. 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."

Meanwhile, former F1 world champion Damon Hill also came out to Tsunoda's rescue, calling out the abusive behavior of fans on social media.

"No abuse in F1 please. Its not cool," Hill said through an Instagram story.

Damon Hill's IG Story [Image Source: @96f1champ/Instagram]

Interestingly, Colapinto fans were previously accused of threatening Jack Doohan online. According to reports, the Aussie driver hired personal security in Miami to look after the safety of himself, his dad, and his girlfriend. Doohan was reportedly in a lot of distress due to online threats and had trouble sleeping.

A few days later, Colapinto replaced Jack as Alpine's second driver for five races, from the Imola GP to the Austrian GP.

---

Yuki Tsunoda reacts to getting abused by Franco Colapinto fans

Yuki Tsunoda at F1 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix 2025 - Source: Getty

Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda was certainly not pleased with being at the receiving end of unnecessary online abuse by Franco Colapinto fans. He stated that the pattern of Colapinto fans is concerning, and if it continues, the F1 should probably intervene to maintain the dignity of drivers.

Talking to RacingNews365, Tsunoda said:

"To be honest, I guess it's not just about me, if I heard correctly. They're going everywhere, to be honest. They're going for Jack [Doohan], and he didn't do anything wrong. So that's a bit unnecessary. I think I have the right to say something. I didn't say the wrong thing or a very bad thing. I just said [expressed] my frustration."

"I know they are supporting their own country's driver, but there's always a line [crossed] that they say something, I guess. And I'm saying this because it's not [just] to me, but they say things to Doohan. If it continues and it gets worse and worse, then at some point F1 should say something."

Coincidentally, Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto crashed in separate incidents during the qualifying session of the Imola GP. While Tsunoda recovered well to finish P10 in the race, Colapinto went home with zero points at P16.