Clarkson's 'penalty for being Argentinian' joke about Colapinto prompts Alpine statement

Right · 2Jeremy Clarkson, speaking to Sky Sports' Martin Brundle at the US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, joked that Alpine driver Franco Colapinto had received a grid penalty for being Argentinian. 1 2 Right · 1He added: "But anyway, that's just because of what happened when we went there." 2 Right · 2Colapinto's actual penalty was a 10-place grid drop for engine or power unit component changes, which left the 23-year-old starting 21st. 1 2

Right · 2Both outlets read the closing remark as a reference to 2014, when Clarkson and the Top Gear team abandoned filming in Patagonia after protests over a car number plate, H982 FKL, that some saw as alluding to the 1982 Falklands War. 1 2 Right · 1Clarkson and the BBC maintained the plate was a coincidence. 2 Right · 2Alpine issued a statement saying it was aware of the comments by a guest of the team, that they were "personal views" not aligned with its values of promoting kindness and respect, and that "Franco is our driver and has our full support." 1 2

Right · 2Colapinto's co-manager Jamie Campbell-Walter wrote on social media that the comments were "completely unacceptable" and that there was "no place for remarks like this in Formula One", whether or not meant as a joke. 1 2 Right · 1GB News also reported wider online criticism and noted that Colapinto has a passionate fanbase; he had told fans two weeks earlier that they "sometimes go too far" in attacking other drivers. 1 Right · 2The Falkland Islands are a UK overseas territory whose residents voted overwhelmingly in 2013 to remain so, while Argentina claims sovereignty, and the Express said the joke could stir up tensions. 1 2