News Summary
- Alpine has publicly defended Franco Colapinto after Jeremy Clarkson joked that the driver deserved a Formula 1 grid penalty because of his Argentine nationality.
- The former Top Gear presenter made the remark during a Sky Sports F1 interview in Austin, referring to his controversial 2014 visit to Argentina and the Falklands War number-plate dispute.
- Alpine said the remarks did not represent its values and reiterated its support for Colapinto, while the driver’s manager, Jamie Campbell-Walter, condemned the comments.
Alpine has issued a statement defending Franco Colapinto after Jeremy Clarkson made a controversial joke about the Argentine driver’s nationality during a live Sky Sports F1 interview ahead of qualifying for the 2026 United States Grand Prix. The former Top Gear presenter suggested that Colapinto deserved a grid penalty simply for being Argentine, drawing criticism and prompting the French team to distance itself from the remarks.
Clarkson was attending the weekend at Circuit of The Americas as a guest of Alpine, whose Enstone factory is located near his Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire. Speaking with Martin Brundle, Naomi Schiff and Simon Lazenby on Saturday (October 24), the television personality was asked about the team’s chances in Austin when he turned his attention to Colapinto’s ten-place grid penalty.
Clarkson jokes Colapinto deserves penalty for being Argentine
Colapinto had already received a ten-place grid penalty for the United States Grand Prix after Alpine exceeded the permitted allocation of power-unit components. However, Clarkson chose to make a joke about the driver’s nationality rather than discuss the technical reason for the sanction.
“Franco’s got a grid penalty for being Argentinian. Probably. Well, I’d give him one for that,” Clarkson said during the Sky Sports broadcast. “But anyway, that’s just because of what happened when we went there,” he added.
The 66-year-old was referring to an incident involving Top Gear in Argentina in 2014, when he and fellow presenters Richard Hammond and James May were filming a special episode in Patagonia.
The programme became the centre of controversy after a Porsche 928 driven by Clarkson appeared with the registration plate H982 FKL, which some Argentine residents interpreted as a reference to the 1982 Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom.
Protests erupted during filming, with members of the production crew reporting that vehicles were attacked and stones thrown at the convoy. The team eventually abandoned its cars and left the country.
Clarkson and the BBC repeatedly denied that the registration plate had been selected deliberately, maintaining that its apparent reference to the conflict was coincidental.
More than a decade later, Clarkson’s reference to the episode during the Austin broadcast reignited criticism, particularly because he was attending the Grand Prix as a guest of the team employing Colapinto.
Alpine distances itself from Clarkson and publicly supports Colapinto
Following the interview, Alpine issued a statement distancing itself from Clarkson’s remarks, making clear that the opinions expressed by its guest did not reflect the team’s values.
Although the French manufacturer did not explicitly identify Clarkson by name, the statement referred to comments made by a team guest during a television interview in Austin.
“We’re aware of the comments made in a recent TV interview from a guest of the team in Austin,” Alpine said. “We would like to reiterate that these are personal views and do not align with the team’s values of promoting kindness and respect.”
The team concluded its response by reaffirming its support for the Argentine driver.
“Franco is our driver and has our full support.”
The statement was significant because Clarkson had attended the event at Alpine’s invitation and appeared in photographs with members of the team during the weekend.
Alpine’s response established a clear distinction between the guest’s personal comments and the organisation’s position, particularly given Colapinto’s popularity in Argentina and the attention surrounding his performances in Formula 1.
The controversy also came during a period in which Colapinto had publicly urged supporters to stop directing abuse towards his own team members and other competitors, making the subject of respect within the paddock particularly sensitive.
Colapinto’s manager condemns Clarkson’s remarks as ‘unacceptable’
Colapinto’s co-manager, Jamie Campbell-Walter, also responded publicly, criticising the remarks and questioning how a prominent guest at a Formula 1 event could make jokes about a driver’s nationality.
“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,” Campbell-Walter wrote on X.
The manager argued that Formula 1 should apply the same standards of respect to spectators, drivers, team personnel and public figures involved in the championship. He highlighted recent efforts to reduce hostility and abuse surrounding Colapinto, particularly following incidents involving the Argentine driver’s supporters.
“We have worked hard to promote respect and put an end to hostility and abuse. That respect must go both ways,” he continued.
Campbell-Walter also stressed that prominent figures attending Formula 1 events have a responsibility to avoid remarks that could encourage hostility or undermine the championship’s efforts to promote respectful behaviour.
The response followed Colapinto’s own comments earlier in the Austin weekend about the online abuse directed towards Alpine employees. The Argentine acknowledged that some supporters had targeted mechanics and engineers over the team’s recent performances.
Colapinto said criticism had crossed acceptable boundaries, particularly when directed at people working to improve his results. The driver has repeatedly called for supporters to refrain from abusive messages, even when frustrated by sporting outcomes.
The latest controversy therefore places Alpine in an uncomfortable position, with the team publicly defending its driver from comments made by one of its own invited guests while continuing efforts to address hostility towards its personnel.
Clarkson also criticises celebrity culture and Kim Kardashian in F1
The interview did not end with Clarkson’s comments about Colapinto. The former Top Gear presenter also discussed his relationship with Alpine and criticised the growing presence of celebrities at Formula 1 events, specifically mentioning Kim Kardashian.
Clarkson explained that his support for Alpine was connected to the team’s proximity to his farm in Oxfordshire. The Enstone headquarters is located near Diddly Squat Farm, giving him a long-standing personal connection with the organisation.
He recalled following the team through different periods of its history, including the years involving Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen, and explained that several people working on his farm had family connections to Alpine.
“Because they’re our local team,” Clarkson said, explaining that he regarded Alpine as part of his community rather than simply another Formula 1 constructor.
The conversation subsequently turned to Brundle’s famous grid walks and the celebrities who attend Grands Prix without necessarily having a strong interest in motorsport.
Clarkson said he enjoyed watching the Sky Sports commentator interview high-profile guests because some appeared unfamiliar with Formula 1. He contrasted their presence with his own interest in the championship’s history, recalling a discussion about Eddie Irvine’s performance at the 1999 Canadian Grand Prix.
When asked about Kardashian’s recent appearance at the Singapore Grand Prix, Clarkson questioned why television coverage devoted so much attention to the American reality star.
“I’m sort of not interested in Kim Kardashian if I’m honest,” he said.
“Why would I be interested in Kim Kardashian? I’m here to watch Formula 1, not Kim Kardashian.”
The comments formed part of Clarkson’s broader criticism of celebrity-focused coverage, although it was his earlier joke about Colapinto’s nationality that prompted Alpine’s formal response.
Why was Colapinto actually given a grid penalty in Austin?
Contrary to Clarkson’s joke, Colapinto’s ten-place grid penalty was imposed for a technical breach involving Alpine’s power-unit component allocation.
The team fitted a fourth control electronics unit to the Argentine’s car ahead of the United States Grand Prix, exceeding the permitted allocation of three for the season. Under Formula 1 regulations, the first additional component beyond the allocation triggers a ten-place grid penalty.
Colapinto was one of three drivers penalised for power-unit changes in Austin, alongside Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad.
Bortoleto received the largest sanction after Audi made several additional replacements, accumulating 80 grid places in penalties, while Lindblad received a five-place drop for using his sixth internal-combustion engine.
As GRANDE PRÊMIO reported in its revised United States Grand Prix starting-grid analysis, the sanctions have changed the starting order for Sunday’s race.
Colapinto will start 21st, immediately ahead of Bortoleto, while teammate Pierre Gasly lines up tenth, giving Alpine a considerably stronger starting position with its other car.
The Argentine faces a difficult recovery drive at Circuit of The Americas, where overtaking opportunities exist but tyre management and race strategy are expected to play an important role.
Despite Clarkson’s remarks and the resulting controversy, Alpine has made its position clear: the television presenter’s comments were personal, did not represent the team’s values and did not diminish its support for Colapinto.
The 2026 United States Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, October 25, at 15:00 local time in Austin, equivalent to 20:00 GMT in the United Kingdom and 17:00 in Brazil.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas this weekend, with breaking news, full coverage and real-time updates in its Formula 1 section.
