F1, F2, F3 and the FIA issue a joint statement taking a stand against online fan abuse

FIA, along with F1, F2, and F3 have condemned the online abuse and harassment against their drivers, team members and officials in recent months. Posting via social media, all three motorsport series urged fans of the sport to maintain restraint.

The United Against Online Abuse campaign (UAOA) was launched by the FIA to address online hatred towards teams, officials and athletes in 2023. In May alone, there were three cases. Jack Doohan received abuse when a fake account in his father’s name, talking about Franco Colapinto, triggered abuse against the Australian and his family members. Yuki Tsunoda faced similar hatred on his account after he clashed with the Argentinian on the track.

In F2, Alex Dunne received a catastrophic amount of online hate after he caused a first lap collision in Monaco. All three drivers admitted to the online abuse on their social media accounts. The Irish driver broke down in a press conference while addressing the issue.

Addressing the issue officially, all three series and the FIA said in a statement:

“On behalf of our Teams and Drivers, F1, F1, F3 and the FIA, through their United Against Online Abuse campaign, firmly condemn abuse and harassment of any form. We’ll continue to collectively act upon and report abuse to social media platforms. Whether you are a fan or a part of the motorsport world, we are all driven by passion. At the heart of it all, there are humans. We urge everyone to remain respectful towards the athletes and their teams.”

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FIA addresses driver abuse in F1 citing Jack Doohan incident

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem addressed the matter of driver abuse in an interview on the United Against Online Abuse website. The UAOA is a campaign focused on reporting and curbing harassment and online abuse in motorsport across all series. The Emirati highlighted the issue by referencing Jack Doohan’s case, where the driver and his family members were harassed on social media.

Ben Sulayem emphasized the need to eliminate the toxic elements of fan hatred from the sport. He stressed the importance of fostering peace within motorsport to allow athletes to compete in a healthy environment. The FIA chief also noted that F1 drivers and teams, alongside the FIA, share the responsibility of maintaining a positive and respectful atmosphere in the sport.

Addressing the Doohan incident in an interview on UAOA, the FIA president said (via Peace And Sport):

“We have to get our house in order because online abuse could have catastrophic consequences. When you look at what happened with Jack (Doohan)… [the driver’s family suffered a wave of cyber-harassment after a fake photo was mistakenly attributed to his father and picked up by several media outlets, editor’s note] We’re working with the drivers, because we all have responsibilities. If one of us doesn’t play his role or doesn’t believe in it, it will only delay things. The impact won’t be the same.”

He added:

“What do we want? We want peace in our sport. We want to get rid of what is toxic. Let the drivers do what they do best, race and give pleasure to the public. And the fans should enjoy that, with respect for everyone.”

Recently, fan bases have adopted a reactive mindset, with growing online abuse directed at F1 drivers, teams and officials. As seen after the Monaco race, the trend has also escalated into the junior series. FIA officials, including regulators and stewards, have received the most abuse throughout the year. Media outlets and organisations have, at times, unintentionally contributed to the issue. The UAOA is a campaign aimed at addressing such abuse and hatred through research, education and policy development across multiple series in the sport.