Alpine backs Colapinto after Clarkson jokes driver was penalised 'for being Argentinian'

Alpine issued a statement backing Franco Colapinto at the United States Grand Prix after Jeremy Clarkson joked during a live television appearance at the Circuit of the Americas that the Argentine driver had been handed a grid penalty “for being Argentinian”.

Clarkson, the former Top Gear host and Clarkson’s Farm presenter, was at the Austin circuit as a guest of Alpine — a team he has supported for several years as his local outfit — when he made the remarks ahead of qualifying. Asked about Alpine’s chances at the weekend, Clarkson said: “Franco’s got a grid penalty for being Argentinian. Probably. Well, I’d give him one for that.”

He then added, “But anyway, that’s just because of what happened when we went there,” a reference to one of Top Gear’s most controversial episodes. In 2014, Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond were forced to flee Argentina after protests erupted when Clarkson drove a Porsche 928 bearing the number plate H982 FKL, which locals interpreted as a reference to the 1982 Falklands War. Clarkson and the Top Gear production team have consistently maintained the plate was a coincidence and was not chosen deliberately.

Alpine responded shortly after the broadcast with a brief but pointed statement. “We at Alpine are aware of the comments made by a team guest in a recent television interview in Austin,” the team said. “Franco is our driver and has our full support.” The statement does not name Clarkson directly, though the timing left little ambiguity.

Colapinto’s actual penalty has nothing to do with his nationality. The 21-year-old was handed a 10-place grid drop for the United States Grand Prix after taking his fourth new control electronics unit of the 2025 season, exceeding the permitted allocation under Formula 1’s technical regulations.

Clarkson also touched on other topics during his appearance, including Martin Brundle’s grid walk and Lewis Hamilton’s partner Kim Kardashian, but it was his Colapinto remark that drew the most immediate reaction.