Colapinto’s management condemns Clarkson’s remark about the driver’s nationality

Franco Colapinto’s management has condemned Jeremy Clarkson’s remark about the driver’s Argentine nationality. Jamie Campbell-Walter called it “completely unacceptable” in a social-media post and said comments of that kind have no place in Formula 1, whether or not they were intended as a joke.

Clarkson, a guest of Alpine in Austin, made the remark in a Sky Sports F1 interview before qualifying, while discussing Colapinto’s 10-place grid penalty for power-unit component changes. He said he would also penalise Colapinto for being Argentine, then linked the comment to what happened during a previous Top Gear visit to Argentina. The penalty left Colapinto due to start the United States Grand Prix 21st, with team-mate Pierre Gasly due to start 10th.

The reference was to Top Gear’s 2014 shoot in Patagonia. A car used for filming carried the registration H982 FKL, which was alleged to refer to the 1982 Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom. The crew abandoned the shoot and fled towards the Chilean border while being attacked by locals. The plate was later confirmed as the car’s original registration, issued when it was built; the crew had not noticed the perceived reference.

Alpine also responded without naming Clarkson. The team said the views were personal to a guest and did not reflect its values of kindness and respect; it said Colapinto had its full support.

Campbell-Walter said respect had to go both ways, arguing that people could not be expected to act responsibly while comments from prominent visitors were accepted. His response came a week after Colapinto had asked his fans to stop abusing other drivers online.