A Formula 1 commentator who labelled Lance Stroll as "autistic" during the Austrian Grand Prix has been suspended.
Lionel Froissart took aim at the Aston Martin racer during coverage of the race at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday. The French-language commentator, who was covering the race for Belgian broadcaster RTBF Sport, appeared to refer to Stroll as "the autistic".
Colleague Gaetan Vigneron immediately voiced his disapproval to that description, and called out Froissart by saying: "That's too strong, you are going too far." But instead of backing down he attempted to justify his comment by adding: "Honestly, this is the truth."
After widespread condemnation on social media, RTBF released a statement in which they confirmed that Froissart has been suspended while they investigate. "RTBF strongly condemns the words used on Sunday, July 10, on air by its consultant Lionel Froissart during the Austrian Grand Prix," the broadcaster said.
"Associating autism with a driver's way of communicating was misplaced and completely inconsistent with RTBF values. An internal investigation will be conducted, to hear all the involved persons.
"The goal is to understand in detail what could have led to this incident. Pending the results of this investigation, RTBF will no longer work with the consultant in question until further notice."
It is the latest unpleasant story to come from the race in Austria, following reports of sexism, racism and homophobia suffered by some fans at the hands of their fellow race-goers. F1 said it had spoken to the promotor about tightening security, while Lewis Hamilton said he was "disgusted" by the reports.
And the Brit was in the firing line himself during qualifying, during which he crashed his Mercedes while on a hot lap. Some of those in the stands supporting rival Max Verstappen cheered when his car hit the barrier, and Hamilton said it was "mind-blowing" that some people would express delight to see someone crash and potentially sustain a serious injury.
Jan Lammers, who runs the Dutch Grand Prix, insists the fans at Zandvoort later this season will be much better behaved. "I'm pretty confident that when the Dutch GP is here, the Dutch public would like to show how we receive a seven-time world champion," he said.
