Franco Colapinto has attempted to put a full stop on the topic of abusive behaviour on social media, but conceded that some of his fans have crossed the line.

Colapinto felt compelled to address the topic head-on via a statement on his social media in recent days.

Franco Colapinto urges fans to end social media abuse

In recent weeks, Alpine team members, Pierre Gasly, and Lando Norris have all been the targets of abuse, which led Colapinto to make a lengthy statement on his own social media channels.

Pressed on the topic in ahead of the United States Grand Prix, Colapinto said: “I’ve been always very grateful with all the fans supporting me, and I think in every sport and every fan base has got this bad side and the hate side.

“The people putting bad comments [are] not helping the athletes perform the best.

“To me, it crossed a few lines lately. I talked a lot about it, and I think probably the last thing I could do to put a statement of me talking and a video like that was always going to be positive.

“So I was keen to do it, especially also [after] my mechanics got a lot of hate, my engineers, so people from my team that want me to do well and help me to perform, and I’m working with daily, getting these kinds of messages.

“It just hurts me in general, and of course, our drivers, but you know that we talk constantly, and I’ve been talking about that for the last 10 races, probably. So I do my best. I think again it kept crossing some lines, so it was the last thing I thought was making a video, and I think it helped.

“You saw with Max as well; he made a statement about it. So again, it’s happening a lot around, and it’s an issue that in sports we’ve got nowadays, and in sports and many areas, many different areas; artists and actors, it’s everywhere.”

Asked if the abuse towards team members is going to them directly or is coming through the team accounts, Colapinto said: “I don’t have their phones. Honestly, I don’t know.

“But for what I understand, they’ve received messages, comments; it just again crossed the line.

“I don’t want to talk about this too much. I talked on my social media. Now it’s again something that I want to stop talking about every weekend. That’s why I started a statement to focus on racing and not be talking about this constantly.”

Colapinto’s on-track performances this season have been met with regular praise, with Alpine seeing enough to lock him in for another season well in advance of any silly season rumours emerging.