Fernando Alonso took aim at the "deplorable" online trolls who directed a barrage of hateful abuse at a Formula 1 steward following the United States Grand Prix.
The Spaniard finished seventh at the race in Austin, but several hours later was knocked out of the top 10 by a 30-second penalty. That came about because Haas complained about inconsistency when Alonso was not forced to pit to rectify damage to his car.
Ahead of this weekend's race in Mexico, the decision was changed again following a protest from Alpine and the 41-year-old's seventh-placed finish was reinstated. Amid all the confusion, some trolls online decided to target the race steward in charge of the decisions, Silvia Bellot.
Also hailing from Spain, Bellot will again fulfil that role at the Mexican Grand Prix. And ahead of that race, Alonso and Alpine have publicly called out those who targeted her with abuse in the wake of those decisions.
"I strongly condemn the recent online abuse which has been directed at FIA race steward Silvia Bellot," wrote the racer in an Instagram story. "This type of hateful behaviour is unacceptable in sport and society.
"It is particularly deplorable that these comments are aimed at one of our sport's volunteers and officials. I will continue to support the FIA and F1 in their efforts to drive out such harm and harassment, and I call on others to do the same."
And in a separate statement on social media, Alpine added: "We are disappointed to learn of the unacceptable harassment aimed at FIA Race Steward, Silvia Bellot. There is no room for any form of harassment or abuse in our sport and we condemn this behaviour."
Earlier this season, the FIA launched its "Drive It Out" campaign aimed at curbing the rise in abuse both online and in person on race weekends. It involved all 20 drivers coming together to urge their fans to be respectful and not to attack others.
