The FIA has strongly condemned online abuse after rising Formula 2 star Alex Dunne was forced to delete his social media accounts in the wake of a chaotic 11-car crash at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Dunne, who drives for McLaren’s junior team and currently leads the F2 standings, received a torrent of vile messages following his role in the dramatic pile-up at Sainte Devote, which brought a red flag just moments into the race on May 25.
The 19-year-old Irishman collided with ART Grand Prix driver Victor Martins at the first corner, triggering a chain reaction that saw more than half the field wiped out before completing a single lap.
‘I got a lot of stuff after Monaco,’ Dunne later revealed. ‘Normally I’m not someone who reads things and gets annoyed by them. But I think an hour after the race, I deleted social media off my phone because I’ve never received such bad messages in my life.
‘A lot of the stuff I got was really, really bad and quite upsetting to be honest.’
The FIA has since responded with a statement under its United Against Online Abuse campaign, urging greater respect towards athletes and their teams.
Formula 2 star Alex Dunne has deleted social media after receiving ‘really upsetting’ abuse
A major pile-up took place just seconds into last month’s Formula 2 Grand Prix in Monaco
‘On behalf of our teams and drivers, F1, F2, F3 and the FIA firmly condemn abuse and harassment of any form,’ the statement read.
‘We’ll continue to act upon and report abuse to social media platforms. Whether you are a fan or a part of the motorsport world, we are all driven by passion. At the heart of it all, there are humans.’
Dunne is not the only driver to suffer from online hate this season. Former Alpine hopeful Jack Doohan recently issued a plea for fans to stop targeting his family after a viral hoax falsely attributed a controversial post to his father.
‘They edited the original content to make it appear as though my father posted it, which is entirely untrue,’ Doohan explained. ‘Please stop harassing my family. I didn’t think it would get to this point.’
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem added his voice to the growing concern, stating: ‘No one should be subjected to threats, hatred, or discrimination. There is no place for abuse or toxicity in our community.
‘We are taking decisive action — raising awareness, providing support, and driving change. We are committed to safeguarding the wellbeing of everyone in our sport.’
The first-corner pile-up stood out as the defining moment of the Formula 2 weekend in Monaco. After a slow launch from pole, Dunne lost the inside line to Martins and appeared to understeer into the Frenchman’s sidepod. Both cars smashed into the barriers, and the narrow layout meant those behind had nowhere to go.
Chaos ensued after McLaren driver Dunne collided with ART’s Victor Martins at the first turn
Irish teenager Dunne is still leading this season’s Formula 2 drivers’ standings after six rounds
Eleven drivers retired as marshals cleared the wreckage. Dutch driver Richard Verschoor was among those forced out, with significant damage to his front wheel.
Anger flared in the immediate aftermath, with a furious Martins asking his team over radio: ‘Who does he think he is, Max Verstappen?’
After a lengthy delay, the race resumed with a reduced field — and it was Jak Crawford who ultimately took the win, capitalising on a well-timed pit stop under the safety car before a late red flag brought proceedings to an early end. Leonardo Fornaroli, who had led for much of the race, had to settle for second.
While Dunne remains in contention for the Formula 2 title, his experience in Monaco has cast a shadow over what has otherwise been a fine breakout season.
Nevertheless, he is still top of this season’s drivers’ leaderboard after six rounds.
