Australian Formula 1 driver Jack Doohan has made an emotional public plea for online trolls to stop targeting his family, following a wave of vicious abuse on social media.
The 22-year-old Alpine reserve driver has been the victim of an aggressive online campaign, largely driven by social media users believed to be from Argentina, since Franco Colapinto joined the team.
Doohan was dropped to a reserve role after the Miami Grand Prix, just six races into the 2025 season, and replaced by Argentinian star Colapinto.
The backlash escalated after Colapinto crashed during qualifying at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday and finished 16th in the race.
The turning point came when a Formula 1 parody account, ‘formulafakers’, created a fake Instagram post attributed to Doohan’s father, former MotoGP world champion Mick Doohan.
The fake image showed Colapinto’s wrecked Alpine car with the caption ‘Very impressive’ and laughing emojis, appearing to mock the Argentinian driver.
Australian motorcycling champion Mick Doohan has been roped into the drama surrounding his F1 driver son Jack (pictured together)
A fake Instagram post appears to mock Colapinto’s crash, later confirmed to be digitally manipulated
Jack Doohan posts a screenshot to Instagram, denying fake comments attributed to his father Mick.
Several Argentinian media outlets mistakenly reported the post as real, sparking a flood of online attacks against the Doohan family.
On Tuesday, Jack Doohan took to Instagram to set the record straight and call for the abuse to end.
‘As you can clearly see, the story circulating above is completely false,’ he wrote alongside a screenshot of the fake post.
‘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. Please stop harassing my family.’
In a follow-up post, he identified the parody account as the source and stressed the damage caused.
‘The original source that posted and made the story. This type of content is so damaging,’ he wrote.
He later clarified: ‘The source is not Argentine. However multiple Argentine outlets falsely reported the fabricated image which triggered the online abuse.’
Doohan has been forced to employ security around the clock because of threats made against his partner
The abuse was sparked by Doohan being dumped by Alpine to reserve driver while Argentinian driver Franco Colapinto was elevated
Doohan revealed that he and his family have received death threats and were forced to hire private security.
Renowned F1 photographer Kym Illman confirmed that Doohan had full-time protection at the Miami Grand Prix and planned to continue with it in Brazil.
‘People had discovered his personal email address and were sending threats,’ Illman reported.
The abuse also affected Doohan’s girlfriend, Ebony Zippora Gold, and the wider family.
Mick Doohan had earlier posted a graphic comparing his son’s performance to teammate Pierre Gasly, aiming to highlight the team’s struggles.
However, fans noted that the stats showed Gasly outperforming Jack, which may have further fuelled the online criticism.
In a statement following his demotion, Jack Doohan expressed disappointment but remained focused.
‘I will continue to give my maximum efforts in any way I can,’ he said. ‘I will keep my head down and keep chasing my own personal goals.’
Doohan has not given up on his F1 dream and hopes to fight his way back onto the paddock
Doohan has taken time out to spend with family amidst all the drama and has pleaded with trolls to leave them alone
Alpine issued a strong statement condemning the abuse and urging fans to treat drivers with respect.
‘Behind the visor of these superhuman athletes, there is a person – an individual with feelings, family, friends, and loved ones,’ the team said.
The parody account behind the hoax post has since apologised.
‘The Doohan family does not deserve to be attacked in the way they evidently were,’ they wrote. ‘We deeply, sincerely apologise.’
They admitted they failed to make it clear the post was fake and acknowledged the real-world consequences.
The ordeal has drawn support from several F1 drivers, including rookies Isack Hadjar and Oliver Bearman.
Hadjar said Doohan’s situation felt ‘quite unfair’ and noted he had limited time to prove himself.
‘He didn’t have a rocket ship either,’ Hadjar said. ‘So, yeah, a bit harsh.’
Bearman agreed and added: ‘You need to give your rookie races. Otherwise he can’t race.’
