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"Best close your DMs now." That was the pointed advice offered to Esteban Ocon in the immediate aftermath of his collision with Franco Colapinto at the Chinese Grand Prix. It proved prescient.
In the days following the race, the Haas driver became the target of a torrent of online abuse, including death threats. While Ocon publicly downplayed the attacks as the work of "keyboard warriors," the episode once again exposed the growing strain of toxicity that continues to shadow Formula 1’s digital fan culture.
The pattern is not isolated. Last year, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli briefly shut down his social media accounts after receiving abuse when he was falsely accused of allowing Lando Norris to pass during the Qatar Grand Prix.
On track, the incident itself was clear-cut. Colapinto had surged as high as second in China after capitalising on an early safety car period and remained in contention for a top‑10 finish when he pitted for fresh tyres on lap 32.
As Colapinto exited the pits, Ocon seized the opportunity and launched a dive up the inside into Turn 1. The move sent both cars spinning.
Although Colapinto recovered to finish 10th, he could have placed three positions higher without the clash. Ocon was handed a 10-second penalty by the stewards and accepted full responsibility.
"Obviously there's been a lot going on," Ocon said. "To be honest I didn't pay too much attention to it, but I've seen what was going on online. The important thing for me was really to speak with Franco directly, to really tell him what I thought and that I was sorry about the incident, because it was my fault on that one. And we had a good chat, everything was okay between us of course and I'm glad that he had a good race nevertheless and he still managed to score points, which was good."
Despite that direct apology — and a public plea from Colapinto’s management urging fans to remain "positive and respectful" — the online backlash continued.
The episode quickly became part of a broader conversation about abuse directed at drivers and officials.
Ocon revealed he received a letter of support from FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who has been vocal in campaigning against online hate speech. In 2023, Ben Sulayem founded the United Against Online Abuse initiative after a steward was targeted by trolls following the previous year’s United States Grand Prix.
"The FIA, the president sent me a letter afterwards, so it's been a talking point," Ocon said. "For sure any kind of abuse online that we saw should not be tolerated and it should have big consequences. It should not have any place in sport or in our sport in general. But you know, that's keyboard warriors, that's how they are. I think in the future it's going to become more of a thing and there probably will be more consequences for these people."
The issue extends beyond Formula 1. In the UK this week, a 60‑year‑old man received a suspended prison sentence, was ordered to complete a 10‑day rehabilitation programme, and was banned from attending football matches for four years after pleading guilty to posting offensive messages about England international Jess Carter during last summer’s European Championship.
As the competitive stakes in Formula 1 intensify, so too does the scrutiny. The challenge now is whether meaningful consequences — as Ocon suggests — can keep pace with the sport’s increasingly volatile online discourse.
Es ingeniero de software y un gran apasionado de la Fórmula 1 y los deportes de motor. Es cofundador de Formula Live Pulse, una empresa dedicada a hacer que la telemetría en directo y la información sobre las carreras sean accesibles, visuales y fáciles de seguir.
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