Clarkson is in hot water after his joke about Colapinto
Jeremy Clarkson has found himself in hot water after making a joke about Franco Colapinto at the United States Grand Prix.
Clarkson has a history with Argentina after a previous Top Gear special went wrong.
Jeremy Clarkson would ‘penalise Colapinto for being Argentinian’
Former host of Top Gear and the Grand Tour, Clarkson is no stranger to F1 and is regularly seen in the paddock, often as a guest of Alpine.
He refers to the Enstone-based outfit as his ‘local team’ and has gifted beer as a reward for podium finishes on multiple occasions.
However, as much as he is no stranger to F1, Clarkson is no stranger to controversy, with the 66-year-old being caught in a number of altercations over the years.
This notably includes high profile incident on a Top Gear special, where the premise was that the trio of hosts would drive 1,600 miles to Ushuaia, where they would play a game of car football.
Unfortunately, this conclusion could not happen, as the number plate on Clarkson’s car – H982 FKL – was taken as a direct reference to the Falklands Wars. This led to riots surrounding the cars and the production team as they attempted to flee Argentina.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of qualifying and informed that Colapinto had been given an engine penalty, Clarkson joked: “Franco’s got a grid penalty for being Argentinian. Probably.
“Well, I’d give him one for that. But anyway, that’s just because of what happened when we went there.”
Given efforts recently to cool tensions involving Colapinto’s fanbase, with rival drivers and team personnel the targets of social media abuse, this did not go down well with Colapinto’s manager, Jamie Campbell-Walter.
Posting on social media, he wrote: “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.
“We have worked hard to promote respect and put an end to hostility and abuse. That respect must go both ways. We cannot ask anyone to behave responsibly while accepting comments like these from prominent figures visiting our sport.
“Franco and his supporters deserve better than this. Let’s not allow this to undo the progress we’ve made and rise above malicious comments.”
Approached for a comment on Clarkson’s words, Alpine told PlanetF1: “We’re aware of the comments made in a recent TV interview from a guest of the team in Austin. We would like to reiterate that these are personal views and do not align with the team’s values of promoting kindness and respect.
“Franco is our driver and has our full support”
