Australian racing driver Jack Doohan has called for an end to online harassment targeting his family following his departure from Alpine after just six races in the current Formula 1 season. Doohan’s exit came ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with the team opting to replace him with Franco Colapinto.
Doohan, 21, took to social media on Monday to address the abuse, which he believes has largely come from supporters of Colapinto. The driver condemned the circulation of false narratives about him and his family, highlighting that certain fabricated content had been shared, which falsely portrayed his father as the originator of the material.
The statement that Doohan shared on Instagram read, “As you can plainly see, the story circulating above is wholly untrue.” In an attempt to portray my family and me negatively, Argentine fans made it up. The original information was altered to give the impression that my father posted it, which is completely false. Stop bothering my family, please. I didn’t think I would have to get to this point.
Doohan later clarified that while the original source of the image was not Argentine, several Argentine outlets had spread the false story, contributing to the harassment aimed at his family.
Alpine, Doohan’s former team, has since released an official statement condemning the online abuse and reiterating their stance against any form of harassment. The statement emphasised that such behaviour was unacceptable in the motorsport community.
This incident is part of a wider issue of toxic online behaviour within the sport. Following a small altercation with the Argentine driver during first practice in Imola, Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda was also subjected to online harassment by Colapinto’s supporters. Tsunoda publicly defended Doohan, criticising the attacks and expressing his frustration with the unnecessary nature of the abuse.
“I heard about it, but to be honest, I guess it’s not just about me if I heard correctly,” Tsunoda stated. “To be honest, they’re going everywhere, and then they’re pursuing Jack. Jack didn’t do anything wrong, and they’re going for it, so that’s a bit unnecessary.”
The situation highlights ongoing challenges with online toxicity and the impact it has on drivers and their families.