Arrow McLaren’s Theo Pourchaire claims he received “hate and death threats” after colliding with a competitor at the IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix.
Pourchaire collided with Juncos Hollinger’s Agustin Canapino during an incident-filled race in Detroit, and was penalized after being found to be at fault.
Canapino was sixth at the time of the crash and had slipped three positions as a result.
The Frenchman, Sauber’s F1 reserve driver and reigning Formula 2 champion, was driving in only his fourth IndyCar race after being appointed as Arrow McLaren’s substitute for the injured David Malukas.
He took to social media on Monday evening to reveal that he had received online harassment from Canapino’s admirers.
“I’m sad I received so much hate and death threats in the last 24 hours for such a small incident in the Detroit GP,” he posted to X.
“I hope people understand that we are all humans who can make mistakes. But it is not acceptable to abuse others online. “Please be kind to one another.”
Arrow McLaren and Juncos Hollinger issued a united statement condemning the actions.
“The past 24 hours have unfortunately provided our teams with a stark reminder about the necessity for respect and civility in our online interactions,” the statement continued.
“Social media allows us to interact with our followers from all around the world, but we must do so in a respectful and secure environment. We will not accept any sort of abuse or discrimination, and anyone who engages in such behavior will be blocked from our online community.
“The NTT INDYCAR SERIES provides thrilling racing action and unparalleled spectator access, but we must never forget that we are all human beings behind the wheel, on the pit wall, or on the monitors.
“It is vital that we collectively maintain a safe and welcoming community for all involved.”
