Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly reportedly received a staggering 13,000 death threats following an incident involving his Alpine teammate Franco Colapinto during the Spanish Grand Prix in September.
That’s right. 13,000 death threats. Over something that happened during a car race.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem revealed the shocking number during an interview with The Drive at the F1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
According to Ben Sulayem, Pierre Gasly wasn’t the only person targeted. His girlfriend and immediate family also received threats from angry fans.
FIA President Says Online Abuse Is Driving Officials Away From Formula 1
The controversy began when Pierre Gasly appeared to hold up Franco Colapinto during the closing stages of the Spanish Grand Prix. Some of Colapinto’s fans apparently decided that was reason enough to threaten Gasly and his family.
“Pierre Gasly had 13,000 threats on his life—13,000!” Ben Sulayem told The Drive.
The FIA president also revealed that online abuse has become so severe that some race officials have resigned.
“We had a woman steward who was threatened to be killed and raped, so she said, ‘it’s not worth it,'” he explained.
Ben Sulayem said the FIA is using artificial intelligence to help identify people making threats online. He also warned that abusive fans could be banned from races and official platforms.
Alpine team principal Flavio Briatore reportedly took a different approach, threatening to impose a media blackout on Franco Colapinto if his fans kept harassing other drivers.
According to The Drive, the warning worked.
Death Threats Against Athletes Have Become Disturbingly Common
Unfortunately, Formula 1 isn’t the only sport dealing with this problem. Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran recently attempted to expose the identity of a fan who sent him messages mocking his previously disclosed suicide attempt.
In another troubling incident, the wife of Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tanner Scott revealed that fans had threatened their family, including their newborn baby, following a loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
And veteran MLB reliever Ryne Stanek said he is regularly threatened online.
“I get death threats all the time — every day,” Stanek said, adding that fans routinely blame players for ruining their bets.
While gambling wasn’t identified as the cause of the threats against Pierre Gasly, the incidents illustrate just how far some sports fans are willing to go when things don’t turn out the way they wanted.
All over something that is supposed to be entertainment.