Argentine race driver Franco Colapinto has been in the spotlight since breaking through to Formula 1 back in August 2024, but Alpine F1 executive advisor Flavio Briatore has questioned whether that helps the 22-year-old. 

After several instances when the media’s fixation on him and the Argentine fans’ fervent support have landed Colapinto in hot water, it begs the question whether the attention isn’t becoming too much of a load placed on his shoulders.

‘It’s your fault, not ours’

“The problem is the press is publishing too much crap,” Briatore told Argentine news outlet La Voz del Interior on Monday. 

The 75-year-old Italian, originally brought back to Alpine in an advisory role, has been in charge since team principal Oliver Oakes departed in May. He had previously led the team twice, first between 1991 and 1997 when it was known as Benetton and then between 2000 and 2009 under the Renault name.

“It’s your fault, not ours,” he added. “All of [the rumors regarding Colapinto] are coming from Argentina and the people there. You have to blame yourselves.”

Briatore insisted there is nothing to report regarding Colapinto’s tenure at the team, insisting the Argentine driver is part of the team and that the team is happy with his performance. Despite Alpine confirming the 22-year-old for just five races when he was originally announced, Briatore insisted the deadline is “only in [Argentines’] minds.”

“It’s you who are publishing so much crap, saying ‘Franco this and that’, this is up to you,” the former Benetton boss said. “It’s not good for Franco, you have to support him, not pressure him, if you’re professionals and want to take care of him.”

Briatore also lashed at the talk of Argentine fans in social media, which he said are “full of idiots,” and insisted the public has to “protect him” as he’s a young kid.

“It’s not easy at first, for nobody,” he added. “He’s starting to trust the car, step by step.”

Fans going overboard

It’s not the first time that Argentine Colapintomania has put the young driver in hot water. Jack Doohan, the driver Colapinto replaced at Alpine, barked at Argentine media and fans, after a fake Instagram story in which his father supposedly laughed at the Argentine driver crashing got picked up by several outlets in the country.

According to Doohan, the news caused several Argentine fans to abuse him and his family, even sending him threats that forced him to hire private security. 

Red Bull’s Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda was on the receiving end of a similar barrage, after he gestured angrily at Colapinto after the two nearly clashed at the Emilia Romagna GP first practice session. Following that Tsunoda’s Instagram profile was filled with racially charged messages in English and Spanish.

The situation prompted a communiqué from Alpine where the team asked fans to “remember that behind the visor […] there is a person,” and urged them to “be kind and respectful.” A month later, a similar statement was released by FIA, after an unrelated case.

All of this has sparked talk about the Argentine fans’ blurred distinction between supporting Colapinto and harassing other drivers, and the effect it may have on the driver himself and how he’s perceived on the paddock. 

“I know they are supporting their own country’s driver, but there’s always a line,” said Tsunoda after the incident. “It’s good that they have energy, but just control it. I feel like they can use their energy in a better way.”

Colapinto himself also asked fans to “show respect,” claiming there’s “too much hatred in social media” and implored fans to “stay calm and not be too hard on drivers.”

Jamie Campbell-Walter, the Argentine driver’s manager who had also come down hard on fans when many criticised the driver as his relationship with actress Eugenia Suárez became public, took to X to speak on the matter. He asked fans to “conduct yourselves with passion but not abuse and arrogance,” and implying the toxicity may harm his chances.

“The haters who think they help Franco, you are doing him more harm than good,” he wrote in February “Franco and all of us who support him are fans of the whole team, [including] Pierre [Gasly] and Jack.”

Difficult times for Alpine

It doesn’t help Colapinto that his new team is going through difficulties, in and out of the track.

Competitively, the team hasn’t been at their best, mimicking last season’s hard start to proceedings. The team is last on the Constructors’ Championship standings after the initial ten rounds, having collected 11 points. It’s a meager return compared to what was expected after a strong ending to 2024, where a double podium in Brazil saw them jump up the standings.

Both drivers have complained of engine issues, with the Renault power unit offering around 30 horsepower less than its competitors. After the Canadian GP, driver Pierre Gasly admitted the car struggled, “being stuck behind cars” and lagging behind too much on the straights “to make any overtakes.”

Things aren’t much better in the garage. Oliver Oakes departed his position as team principal in May, shortly after his brother William was arrested in the UK, charged by the Metropolitan Police with transferring criminal property. Oakes has since said his resignation was unrelated.

The team has been in the hands of Briatore since then, but the future remains uncertain as Renault CEO Luca de Meo announced he was to step down from the position last Sunday. He was key in Briatore’s return, who was brought back as an executive adviser to De Meo.

However, the former Benetton boss has claimed that “absolutely nothing” will change after the CEO’s departure.