McLaren has ended its relationship with IndyCar rival Juncos Hollinger “with immediate effect” following a social media row involving their drivers.
Juncos Hollinger driver Agustin Canapino cast doubt on claims made by McLaren’s Theo Pourchaire about abuse he received on social media following their collision in Sunday’s Detroit Grand Prix.Pourchaire collided with Canapino at a restart while the Juncos Hollinger driver was running sixth. Canapino’s supporters have previously been accused of making abusive comments about other drivers on social media and Pourchaire claimed on Monday he received “so much hate and death threats in the last 24 hours for such a small incident.”
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, who oversees their IndyCar operation, said in a post on Tuesday the reaction was “sad and pathetic”.
Canapino drew criticism over his response two days ago, when he cast doubt on Pourchaire’s claims.
“We Argentines are passionate and euphoric, but that doesn’t mean we should be accused of something we are not,” he wrote. “Therefore, I strongly reject being generalised and placed in a category we don’t deserve.
“I have not seen a single death threat directed at those who claim to have received them. From last year to today, no one in their right mind would do such a thing. It’s outrageous to be accused of this so lightly, and I won’t allow it anymore. If anyone did this, they are not part of us, and we don’t deserve to be consider this way because of some misfit we strongly reject.”
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Canapino added he “constantly receives abuse and hate” but had “learned to live with it as many people do, choosing to ignore it. There’s nothing sadder and more miserable than hiding behind social media to insult others.” The driver was also accused by some of endorsing posts written by others attacking Pourchaire.
In a statement today McLaren said it has “terminated its commercial alliance with Juncos Hollinger Racing, effective immediately.”
“This decision follows actions that occurred earlier this week on social media in regards to an on-track incident at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix,” it added.
Juncos Hollinger released its own statement simultaneously, saying “as of today, our strategic partnership with Arrow McLaren has come to a conclusion.
“We appreciate the time spent with McLaren over past months. They are a world class organisation which we enjoy competing against week in and week out. While the results of the partnership did not mature, we have the upmost respect for them and are confident in the future of Juncos Hollinger Racing.”
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Retired (@jeff1s)
6th June 2024, 17:23
Fair action.
Goodbye Augustino Canapino, Martin Ponte and the disgusting behaviour of Argentinians fans.
Sorry for those who can keep calm.
No reply
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
6th June 2024, 18:27
I knew it as soon as I saw Agustin’s post. Way to make a tense situation even more tense for no reason. Not sure what he was aiming to do. I understand his point about social media being toxic in general, but he could’ve worded things differently and try to calm down the situation.
It’s sad tho. What was a lovely story turned sour very quickly…
MichaelN
6th June 2024, 19:25
Yeah, it doesn’t read like a great play. A bit surprising given his age – he could have handled this a lot better.
PlantsOverboard
6th June 2024, 18:57
Good for McLaren for taking the moral high-ground and distancing themselves from someone for expressing their opinion. Now, perhaps, they could point that finger at themselves and break ties with the Bahraini royal family, British American Tobacco, and PartyPoker. I guess it turns out their morals end when money comes their way.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
6th June 2024, 22:19
the people at the top have more in common with drug dealers and thieves then the every man who has to be the glue keeping society together. just saying.
Pat Ashworth
6th June 2024, 19:08
Calum Illot will be quietly smiling today.
Don
6th June 2024, 23:26
Not a surprise. In addition to McLarens actions, IndyCar should require Juncos to make a statement letting their fans know there will be serious penalties on the team if they don’t stop the threats now and in the future.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
7th June 2024, 18:52
Lance Stroll has received death threats on social simply because his dad owns the team for which he drives. The idea that a driver would be exempt simply because an incident was perceived by someone else as small, is laughable. (That’s before considering the possibility of people posting death threats to the team factory, which in this day and age would probably be treated more seriously, and would not have been seen by other drivers unless the team chose to share them).
Calling out abuse (especially something as extreme as death threats) is a perfectly legitimate response to receiving it, and even people who prefer to ignore it should respect that.