FIA Condemns Abuse Over Colapinto Penalty
The FIA has condemned online abuse directed at its stewards after penalties given to Franco Colapinto at the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix and is exploring legal options in response to threats.
FIA Issues Statement on Steward Abuse
The FIA has condemned online abuse aimed at its race stewards following penalties applied during the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix. The governing body released a statement through its United Against Online Abuse coalition on Tuesday, noting that stewards faced targeted abuse after issuing sanctions consistent with FIA regulations.[1]
Franco Colapinto received a drive-through penalty and two superlicence penalty points for overtaking Yuki Tsunoda under double-waved yellow flags on lap one. Arvid Lindblad received an identical penalty for a similar incident. Colapinto later incurred an additional 10-second penalty and reached four penalty points for the 12-month period.[3]
Context of the Penalties
Stewards cited mitigating circumstances from track debris after Max Verstappen's crash but still imposed penalties in line with regulations. The FIA statement urges respect in online engagement with the sport. Some posts included threats, prompting the coalition's renewed call for responsibility.[5]
The FIA is exploring legal options in connection with the abuse.[1]
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/fia-condemns-online-abuse-f1-stewards-following-franco-colapinto-dutch-gp-penalty/10849233/ https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1102996/1/fia-condemns-targeted-abuse-f1-stewards-after-colapinto-penalty https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/1089520/fia-issues-statement-race-stewards-abuse-f1-dutch-grand-prix/
Related reading
- [1]FIA exploring legal options over abuse against F1 stewards following Franco Colapinto's Dutch GP penalty (motorsport). Accessed 2026-08-26.
- [2]FIA condemns online abuse of F1 stewards after Colapinto's Dutch GP penalties (theathletic). Accessed 2026-08-26.
- [3]FIA condemns 'targeted abuse' of F1 stewards after Colapinto penalty (crash). Accessed 2026-08-26.
- [4]FIA condemns online abuse following Colapinto penalty (motorsportweek). Accessed 2026-08-26.
- [5]FIA issues statement on race stewards abuse (gpfans). Accessed 2026-08-26.