Franco Colapinto’s manager responds to Jeremy Clarkson’s ‘unacceptable’ comment about the Alpine driver
Franco Colapinto will be starting the United States Grand Prix with a grid penalty because he used more power unit parts than allowed this season. He got a 10-place drop for using his fourth Control Electronics Unit, which led Jeremy Clarkson to make a joke about the Argentine driver.
Now, Colapinto’s manager has spoken out about Clarkson’s comment.
The Alpine driver did well in qualifying on Saturday in Austin, Texas, but his penalty will make it tough for him in the race. After qualifying 14th, Franco will start down in 21st place at the Circuit of the Americas.
Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli is hoping to win the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship this weekend in the USA.
During a chat with Sky Sports on Saturday, Clarkson, who was visiting Alpine, made a remark about Colapinto’s penalty, saying: “Franco’s got a grid penalty for being Argentinian. Probably. Well, I’d give him one for that. But anyway, that’s just because of what happened when we went there.”
Clarkson has had some trouble with Argentina before. When filming a special episode of Top Gear, the crew had to leave the country because Clarkson’s car had a number plate that referenced the Falklands War. The BBC and Clarkson said the plate had been on the car since the 1990s and the connection was just a coincidence.
After Clarkson’s recent comment, Colapinto’s manager took to X (formerly Twitter) to speak out against the joke. Jamie Campbell-Walter, who represents Franco, said the remark was not okay.
He wrote: “Jeremy Clarkson’s comments about Franco’s nationality were completely unacceptable. There’s no place for remarks like this in Formula 1, whether they’re meant as a joke or not.
“We’ve worked hard to encourage respect and stop hostility and abuse. Respect needs to go both ways. We can’t ask people to behave well if we accept comments like these from famous visitors to our sport.
“Franco and his fans deserve better. Let’s not let comments like this undo the progress we’ve made—let’s rise above hurtful jokes.”