Jack Doohan has called on Formula 1 fans to "stop harassing" his family following his departure from Alpine F1 team. The Australian driver has been subjected to online abuse since being dropped after just six races of the 2025 season.
Alpine have issued a statement condemning the "online abuse" directed at Doohan, who was replaced by Franco Colapinto ahead of last weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Doohan has highlighted fabricated social media posts that he says contain false information and portray him and his family in a "negative light", which he initially believed came largely from Argentine driver Colapinto's fanbase.
The Australian driver took to Instagram on Monday to share examples of the abuse he has received. He posted two examples of social media content that he said were completely false.
Jack Doohan's family has received abuse from F1 fans
Reuters
"As you can clearly see, the story circulating above is completely false," Doohan wrote on Instagram.
"It was fabricated by Argentine fans attempting to portray me and my family in a negative light. They edited the original content to make it appear as though my father posted it, which is entirely untrue."
Doohan made a direct plea to those responsible, adding: "Please stop harassing my family. I didn't think I would have to get to this point."
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He later issued a correction regarding the source of the fabricated content, stating: "The source is not Argentine. However multiple Argentine outlets falsely reported the fabricated image which triggered the online abuse on my family."
The incident highlights growing concerns about online harassment in Formula 1, particularly when driver changes occur mid-season.
Jack Doohan posted screenshots on Instagram before correcting himself
Instagram @jackdoohan
Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda also faced similar abuse during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend after an incident with Colapinto during first practice.
Tsunoda made a hand gesture in frustration after feeling impeded by Colapinto, which appeared to trigger vile abuse from the latter's supporters.
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When asked about the abuse later in the Imola weekend, Tsunoda acknowledged the situation whilst expressing concern about the broader pattern of harassment.
"I heard about it but, to be honest, I guess it's not just about me if I heard correctly," Tsunoda said.
Yuki Tsunoda also received abuse from Argentine fans
Reuters
"They're going everywhere, to be honest, and then they're going for Jack (Doohan). Jack didn't do anything wrong and they're going for it, so that's a bit unnecessary."
The incidents involving both Doohan and Tsunoda have raised questions about the responsibility of social media platforms and F1 teams in protecting drivers from targeted online harassment campaigns.
