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Alpine Publishes Open Letter Denying Colapinto ‘Sabotage’ Claims

The letter aims to quell online abuse by clarifying equipment parity.

Overview

  • Alpine, which posted an 11-page note Thursday, rejected claims it sabotaged Franco Colapinto and condemned hateful online messages.
  • The team said Pierre Gasly and Colapinto run the same equipment, with only small gearbox‑related parts in China differing that it described as low impact.
  • Following the Shanghai collision, Esteban Ocon accepted blame and apologized, and the FIA told Alpine and Haas it was deeply concerned by death threats.
  • The FIA took no action over Oliver Bearman’s heavy Suzuka crash after he closed rapidly on Colapinto, and officials flagged the cars’ closing-speed behavior for review.
  • A wide early-season gap in results — Gasly on 15 points and Colapinto on 1 — has fueled fan speculation, and Alpine says it is working with F1 and the FIA to strengthen moderation of abuse.