Never reluctant to crack a joke, Clarkson said: "Franco has 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."

The comment caused his good friend and former F1 driver Martin Brundle, stood next to him while working on the ground for Sky as a pundit, to chuckle and shake his head slightly, knowing full well that Clarkson's comments were unlikely to go down well with Colapinto's particularly vocal fanbase.

Clarkson had also referred to his trip to Argentina along with Richard Hammond and James May, back when they were all co-hosts of Top Gear. During a now-infamous road trip through the South American country, the 2014 episode ended with Clarkson, his fellow presenters and the whole film crew hiding from an angry mob before fleeing across the border and into Chile.

The locals had been riled up by the number plate on the Porsche 928 Clarkson had chosen for the trip, which read: H982 FKL. While BBC executives insisted the plate was nothing more than a coincidence, the locals took it as a reference to the 1982 Falklands War and it was soon made clear to Clarkson that he was not welcome there.

Colapinto qualified 14th on the road, and will drop to the back row of the 22-car grid as a result of the penalty. He will not be last, though, as Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto has incurred 60 places' worth of penalties and F1 rules make it clear any driver with more than 15 places of accumulative penalties must start at the very back.

Even though Clarkson's comment was clearly a joke, it still did not go down well with Argentinian fans on social media. One angry Colapinto supporter wrote: "He tells jokes while being on another continent because the last time he tried to tell a joke while in Argentina, he had to escape, hiding at night."

Jamie Campbell-Walter, director of Bullet Sports Management which represents Colapinto, wrote on X: "Jeremy Clarkson's comments about Franco's nationality were completely unacceptable. There is no place for remarks like this in Formula 1, regardless of who makes them or whether they are intended as a joke.

"We have worked hard to promote respect and put an end to hostility and abuse. That respect must go both ways. We cannot ask anyone to behave responsibly while accepting comments like these from prominent figures visiting our sport. Franco and his supporters deserve better than this. Let's not allow this to undo the progress we've made and rise above malicious comments."

Alpine issued a statement on Clarkson's comment, which read: "We are aware of the comments made by a team guest in a recent television interview in Austin. We want to reiterate that this is a personal opinion that does not align with the team's values, which promote kindness and respect. Franco is our driver and has our full support."

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